Quest to Capture the Shadow Pokemon
by animatedrose
Summary: The criminal organization Cipher has created Shadow Pokemon to rule the world once again. Mark Hunter is given the duty of capturing all 493 Shadow Pokemon to stop them! With his Pikachu, Sparks, by his side and his new friends, can he win? HAITUS
1. Chapter 1: Battles and Quest

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon XD. I only own my character, Mark.

Pokemon: Quest to Capture the Shadow Pokemon

Mark grinned as he threw a Poke Ball out into the stadium. He was facing off against a trainer in a tournament in Johto. It wasn't official, but he took any challenge thrown at him. His Pikachu, Sparks, appeared and faced off against the other trainer's Totodile.

"Begin!" yelled the announcer.

Mark smiled and got to work. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt!"

The Pikachu charged the electricity and fired it at Totodile. It was a critical hit but the water Pokemon wasn't down yet. "Totodile, Water Gun!" yelled the trainer.

The Totodile blasted water out of its mouth at Sparks, but the Pikachu dodged each blast. It knew what to do next. "Sparks, use Quick Attack and follow up with Iron Tail!" Mark yelled.

Sparks ran at the Totodile, who blasted a Water Gun to try and hit it. Sparks dodged and leapt into the air, its tail glowing silver. Then Sparks crashed its tail onto the Totodile's head, knocking it back a few feet. Sparks landed.

"Sparks, finish it off with Volt Tackle!" Sparks ran at Totodile with electricity crackling around its body. The Pikachu collided with Totodile, throwing it back at its trainer and making both fall over.

"And the winner is Mark!" the announcer cried.

"Good job, buddy." Mark said as Sparks leaped onto his shoulder.

The duo left the pre-gym in triumph. Now he felt ready to take on the Gym Leaders. But first he would check out that island, Shamouti. Sounded sweet and if he was lucky, he might even see the legendary birds. Even luckier, he might see Lugia.

He walked into the sunlight. He had green hair with bangs that went in his face while the rest was bound up in a waist-length ponytail and had dark green eyes. He wore a black shirt, a red jacket with black pockets, blue jean pants, and black and red tennis shoes. A red bandanna covered his head, letting his bangs poke through.

He walked over to the docks and released his Salamence. Hopping on its back, he ordered it to fly to Shamouti Island. The dragon rose into the air and took off for the hour-long flight to Shamouti.

An hour later, Salamence landed on the beach of Shamouti Island. Hopping off its back, Mark returned it and walked down the beach. He could see the three islands from here: Ice, Lightning, and Fire Island, where the three legendary birds lived.

Sparks hopped off his shoulder and ran forward, cheeks sparking dangerously. "What's wrong, boy?" Mark asked, looking towards where Sparks was looking.

A man with a Raichu came out from behind a rock. He had on all black and had red hair. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses. He had to be a trainer but something about him was bugging Mark. Something bad. What was it?

The man smirked and pointed at them. "Okay kid, make this easy and hand over that Pikachu."

"What?" Mark replied. "Why should I? Why do you want Sparks?"

"None of your business, kid!" snarled the man. "Raichu, use Shadow Bolt on that kid and take his Pikachu!"

The Raichu stepped forward. It had an aura of darkness around it. Its cheeks sparked and it released a Thunderbolt that was laced with shadow. Sparks countered with a Thunderbolt, saving Mark from getting hurt.

"So you wanna fight now, huh?" taunted the man. "Well, if it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get! Raichu, use Shadow Bolt and then Shadow Rush!"

The Raichu let out another shadowy Thunderbolt that was countered by Sparks' own Thunderbolt. Then Raichu tackled Sparks to the ground. A shadowy aura surrounded the orange electric mouse.

"Sparks, break away and use Quick Attack!" Mark called.

Raichu was about to tackle the Pikachu again but Sparks leaped away and sped around the larger Pokemon. Then Sparks hit the Raichu with a Thunderbolt. The Raichu used the shadowy Thunderbolt and hit Sparks, throwing it back a few feet.

"Sparks, use Iron Tail!" Mark ordered.

Sparks got to its feet and ran at Raichu. Leaping in the air, its tail started to glow silver again. But then Raichu used the shadowy Tackle and knocked Sparks back a few feet. Raichu tackled Sparks again and then hit him with Shadow Bolt. Sparks fell back and tried to get up, but Raichu rammed it again. Sparks collapsed at Mark's feet.

"Sparks!" cried Mark as he grabbed Sparks, holding him close. Laughter tore his attention away from his Pikachu.

"Told you, kid!" laughed the man, walking over to him with the Raichu following him. "You should've just handed over the Pikachu and you could've saved me the trouble of beating it senseless."

"What do you want with Sparks?" Mark asked, eyeing the Raichu suspiciously. "To turn him into what that Raichu is?"

The man grinned and pulled out a gun. "Precisely," he said. "We'll turn that Pikachu into a Shadow Pokemon."

"Shadow Pokemon?"

"That's right. Pokemon who have had their hearts closed. They have an advantage against all Pokemon and their attacks are effective against all types. They're even resistant to their own type, which is the reason your Pikachu couldn't beat my Raichu."

Mark felt the cool metal of the gun against his forehead. "There's one Shadow Pokemon of each species except for the legendaries… for now. Master's working on that." The man said.

"Then why do you need Sparks? Don't you have a Shadow Pikachu?" Mark asked, looking at the unconscious Pikachu in his arms.

"Yeah, we do. But I could always use another Pikachu." The gun was pressed against his forehead. "And now that you know this, I'll have to kill you. Say good bye, brat!" The man said, fingers already pulling the trigger.

A huge shriek tore through the air and a blast of fire crashed into the ground between them. The man jumped back while Mark stayed there in shock. A Ho-Oh and Lugia circled above, letting off Sacred Fires and Aeroblasts at the man. He had his Raichu defend him but it was tiring quickly.

Mark noticed a necklace had materialized in front of him. It was a small black ball the size of his thumb nail and had a silver feather on one side and a rainbow feather on the other. It was on a gold and silver chain. Something told him it was his, so Mark grabbed it and put it on.

As soon as he did, he looked at the Raichu and saw that it was different. Instead of having brown paws, they were black. Instead of having a yellow cheeks and lightning-bolt tail, they were red. And its eyes were glowing red. It had a shadowy aura around it. When he took the necklace off, the Raichu looked normal.

Putting it back on, he felt warmth coming from the necklace. He looked down and saw it glowing. Sparks' injuries were healing and he had full health now. Mark then realized the feathers on the necklace were Ho-oh and Lugia's feathers, and the black stone gave him the ability to see Shadow Pokemon.

Standing back up, Sparks jumped out of his arms. Lugia and Ho-oh disappeared into the clouds, leaving the man to battle Mark again. Raichu immediately launched a Shadow Bolt at Sparks, who easily dodged.

"Sparks, use Iron Tail and follow up with Thunderbolt!" Mark yelled.

Sparks leaped into the air and smashed its glowing tail down on Raichu's head. Hopping a safe distance away, the Pikachu used Thunderbolt on Raichu. An explosion ensued and when the smoke cleared, Raichu was down, struggling to rise.

The man went crazy. He ended up running away saying, "How could a kid beat me and my Shadow Pokemon?! You remember this, kid!! Cipher will be after you for this!! Remember!!"

"Weird, did he abandon his Pokemon?" Mark asked, looking at the Raichu. Something told him to catch it, so he grabbed a Poke Ball and threw it at the Raichu. The Poke Ball opened and Raichu disappeared in a flash of red light. "What? It worked?!"

He picked up the Poke Ball and watched as it changed. The red part became black and the white part became gray. A jagged red 'S' appeared on the black part right above the button. He'd never seen a Poke Ball like this before.

"Come out, Raichu." Mark said, opening the Poke Ball. Raichu popped out, still injured but conscious. Mark picked it up in his arms.

The Raichu smirked and shocked him with a blast of shadowy electricity. Mark cried in pain but then realized he felt no pain. The attack wasn't working? The necklace glowed white and the attack disappeared. The Raichu was confused and fell limp in Mark's arms, burying its face into his black shirt.

A loud shriek was heard. Mark looked up and saw Ho-oh headed right for him. Mark dodged and Ho-Oh landed lightly in front of him. Lugia landed beside the Ho-Oh and glanced at the Raichu. Then the Ho-Oh spoke. "Get on,"

Mark was confused. "What? Why?!"

Sparks ran up Ho-Oh's wing and rested on its neck. "Pika pi!" Sparks cried.

Mark sighed and walked up its wing, sitting behind Sparks. "Hang on." Ho-Oh said, and then took off. Mark clung to the feathers on its neck while Raichu clung to his shirt. Sparks hung onto the feathers too. Soon the two legendaries were flying high over the ocean.

"So, Ho-Oh, why did that man attack me?" Mark asked, assuming they had the answers.

"Just as he stated: to have another Pokemon." Ho-Oh replied.

"Well," Mark started, glancing at the Raichu clinging to his shirt. "Who is Cipher, and why are they making Shadow Pokemon? What _are_ Shadow Pokemon, anyway?"

"Cipher is an evil organization dedicated to closing Pokemon's hearts and turning them into battle machines. They've done this twice in the past and now they're doing it again, but with more than ever. One of every kind except we legendaries." Lugia responded.

"Shadow Pokemon are unusual. With their hearts closed, they've become violent battle machines." Ho-Oh said, sadness in its voice. "All of its original moves are forgotten and replaced with Shadow moves. They can't level up, evolve, learn TMs, or any learned moves. When using Shadow moves, it has a chance of entering Reverse mode, hurting itself after each turn. Only Calling it will return it to normal."

"But why me?" Mark asked. "Why are you telling me all of this? I may have caught this Raichu, but I can't catch every Pokemon!"

"You'll have to! It's your duty as a Pokemon trainer!" Lugia said. "Your mission is to save the Shadow Pokemon from Cipher's evil clutches and purify them. You must steal back the ones who are being abused by criminals and open their hearts again. Anyone else who sees them won't know they are Shadow Pokemon."

"But how?" Mark asked. He knew he was close to Kanto by now. "How do I stop them? How do I purify them?"

"That," Ho-Oh said as they flew lower. "You will have to discover on your own. Use the Snag Balls to catch them, and then find a way to purify them."

"What?" cried Mark, and he looked down to see none other than Kanto below them. "Why did you bring me here?"

"We sense many Shadow Pokemon reside here," said Lugia. "Now you must find them and catch them."

Ho-Oh went upside-down, throwing Mark off and sending him falling towards Kanto. "Good luck, Mark!" they cried.

Mark landed in a pile of hay. "Oof! Nice landing, eh?" Mark grumbled, looking up to see the two legendaries disappear into the sky in the direction of Kanto. "What were they thinking, letting me fall 300 feet in the air? They're lucky I landed here, right Sparks?"

His Pikachu nodded, flopping onto his chest. Raichu was by his side, still injured from the battle. Mark sighed and returned it to its Poke Ball, a Snag Ball as Ho-Oh called it. Putting it on his belt, he slid down the hay pile with Sparks.

After picking the hay out of his hair and clothes, Mark looked towards where the sun was setting. Sparks pounced on his jacket and grabbed a metal object. "What's that, Sparks?"

"Pika pi!" Sparks said with a look that said 'How should I know?'

"Hey," said Mark, picking it up. "I know what this is. This is a PDA, a Pokemon Digital Assistant! This thing stores massive amounts of data and has a mailbox, strategy memo, maps, and shows how many Pokemon, Poke Dollars, and Pokemon Coupons I've got!"

He turned it on and saw something he'd never seen before on it. "What? A Shadow Monitor? What's that?" He turned it on and saw it had a list of all the Shadow Pokemon and showed who they were being carried by and where they were at the moment. "Awesome!" Mark cried.

"Pikachu?" squeaked Sparks, looking confused at its trainer's happy face.

"Sorry Sparks, it's just that," Mark grinned, petting Sparks' head. "It's just that with this thing, everything is a lot easier. I know where they are, their level, attacks, trainer, everything! Maybe it won't be so hard after all."

"Pika pi! Pika chu!" Sparks cried, leaping on his shoulder.

"Alright then, Sparks! Let's go catch some Shadow Pokemon!" Mark said, walking along a path through the field of hay piles.

He picked up Raichu's Snag Ball and looked it over. He knew it was essentially forbidden to capture another trainer's Pokemon, but the criminals using the Shadow Pokemon were leaving him no choice. And it was for the good of the Pokemon, right?

He entered a Pokemon Center at informed him that he was in, where else, Pallet Town. It was like starting his Pokemon journey all over again, but instead of catching normal Pokemon, he was catching Shadow Pokemon and trying to stop Cipher.

He rented a room and went in. Hopping into bed, Sparks fell asleep instantly. Mark, on the other hand, stayed away for hours trying to figure out how to purify Raichu. When 2:00 am rolled around, Mark ended up falling asleep with thoughts of his PDA telling him how to purify them. Maybe it did, but he'd have to figure it out in the morning. Right now Mark needed sleep more than anything else.

That night, his dreams were filled with claws, fangs, blood, shadows, and screams.

**Next Chapter: **Shadow Pokemon in Pallet Town

"Where did you get that Pokemon?" Mark yelled.

"From some guy in a black robe after I beat Brock. Why?" the blue-haired trainer asked.

"That's a Shadow Pokemon!"

"So? If you want to battle, then bring it on!" the trainer said, grabbing a Poke Ball.

Mark growled and Sparks ran onto the battle field. "Okay, but I warned you!"


	2. Chapter 2: Shadow Pokemon in Pallet Town

Chapter 2: Shadow Pokemon In Pallet Town

Mark woke up the next morning to the sound of Sparks yelling at him to get up. The trainer dragged himself out of bed and grabbed some toast for breakfast. Grabbing some Poke Chow, he released his Pokemon: Salamence, Mightyena, and the Shadow Raichu he caught yesterday.

Upon seeing Raichu was what reminded him of his mission. He checked his PDA for answers about purifying Raichu, but so far there were no known ways. Guess Ho-Oh was right; he'd have to figure it out on his own. Maybe he could look up Cipher on his PDA and see if any ways were listed there.

He checked. None. Mark sighed. "That was pointless," he grumbled, finishing his toast.

He felt a tugging sensation on his pant leg. Mark looked down and saw it was Raichu. Mark still thought it looked creepy with the red eyes and black paws. "Rai? Rai rai chu?"

"What is it, Raichu?" Mark asked, stroking its head.

Raichu growled and bit his hand, its fangs drawing blood. "Yeowch!" Mark cried, falling out of his chair. "What was that for?!"

"Rai rai chu!" Raichu cried, waving its arms in frustration. "Raichu! Rai! Chu!!"

"Huh?" Mark looked at Sparks, who only shook its head.

Sparks ran over and talked to Shadow Raichu in its own language. But in the end, Raichu shocked Sparks and the two fought. Mightyena ended up ending the fight with a very loud bark that nearby deafened Mark.

"Good job," Mark said, rubbing his ears. "Good job, girl."

Mightyena barked and returned to her bowl of food, eating quickly.

Raichu glared at her while Mark pulled out his PDA. It had a Shadow Pokemon Pokedex, so maybe it can tell him what's wrong with Raichu. The screen turned to Shadow Raichu's profile. It turned out that Shadow Raichu wanted to fight, but it was confused as to why it was with him instead of the redhead trainer in black.

"That man was a criminal, Raichu," Mark said gently. "He was forcing you to fight after closing your heart. I have to open your heart and make you free again."

Raichu twitched an ear as if saying 'But why? Aren't I normal?'

"Because you don't deserve to be a machine used to attack people. You are normal but your heart is closed. I'll find a way to get you back to your old self, somehow." Mark promised.

"Rai?" Raichu turned back to its food bowl, still trying to figure out what happened.

Mark looked at its profile again, just to gain some necessary facts about his Shadow Pokemon. It seemed normal besides the color changing, but its stats were off a little. It was speedier than a normal Raichu, five stars, and had a high Attack power, four out of five stars. Its Defense and Special Defense each had one out of five stars, and its Special Attack had three out of five stars. Looks like Cipher messed with its stats too, to make it quicker and more aggressive.

He found the basic facts: It was male, 66 lbs, 2'07", Static ability, and was Level 18. Cipher must have turned it into a Shadow Pokemon as soon as it leveled up and evolved with a Thunderstone. Its attacks were Shadow Bolt and Shadow Rush.

After breakfast, Mark checked out and left, Sparks on his shoulder and PDA in his hand with the Shadow Monitor activated. In a nearby clearing in the forest was where another Shadow Pokemon was. It was a Shadow Espeon.

He entered the clearing and saw a boy with blue hair on the other end of the clearing. From the looks of it, he knew that Mark had been headed here. "Hello there, Mark." The boy said.

"Where did you get that Pokemon?" Mark yelled.

"From some guy in a black robe after I beat Brock. Why?" the blue-haired trainer asked.

"That's a Shadow Pokemon!"

"So? If you want to battle, then bring it on!" the trainer said, grabbing a Poke Ball.

Mark growled and Sparks ran onto the battle field. "Okay, but I warned you!"

The trainer threw out a Poke Ball. It was a Nidorino, unfortunately not the Shadow Pokemon. "Nidorino, Horn Drill!"

Mark knew he had to act fast. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt!"

Sparks ran at it and unleashed the electric attack, stunning the Nidorino. The boy returned it and threw out a Beedrill. "Beedrill, use Twinneedle now!"

The Pokemon flew down and struck Sparks hard with its needles. The Pikachu got back up and shot out another Thunderbolt, easily knocking it out. The boy returned it and threw out just who Mark was looking for. "Espeon, go! Use Shadow Hold and then Shadow Panic!"

The Espeon's jewel started to glow red and a black aura descended. Mark knew Sparks couldn't flee the battle now. Then the aura started pulsing. Sparks looked around wildly to find the noise.

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt!" Mark commanded.

Sparks charged with energy and shot out the attack, but it aimed the attack at Mark. Mark fell over with a cry of pain. "What happened? Why did Sparks attack me?"

"Because," said the blue-haired boy said, smirking. "Shadow Panic causes your Pokemon to be confused. Now Espeon, use Shadow Rush!"

The Espeon raced forward and tackled Sparks, throwing it back. Sparks was out.

_Oh man_, thought Mark, looking at the Espeon. It was a light shade of red and its eyes were glowing red. _This guy's on a whole other level!_ Then Raichu's Snag Ball started to shake. Mark picked it up. _Does Raichu want to fight?_

"Okay then, Raichu! Come on out!" Mark yelled, throwing the Snag Ball. Raichu popped out and looked ready to fight. "Okay, Raichu, use Shadow Bolt!"

Raichu charged up the attack and shot it at Espeon. The Espeon crashed at its owner's feet. The man stared in horror as Mark picked up a Poke Ball and threw it, catching Espeon. The ball turned into a Snag Ball just like Raichu's did.

The blue-haired boy ran. Mark smirked and walked back to the Pokemon Center. He might as well rent a room for a while because the Shadow Pokemon kept tiring his Pokemon, and him, out.

After renting a room and getting his Pokemon healed, Mark collapsed in bed. He pulled out his PDA to check Shadow Espeon's stats. It had more Attack power, five stars, and Special Attack, four out of five stars. Special Defense was three out of five stars, and Defense and Speed were two out of five stars.

It was female, 58 lbs, 2'11", Synchronize ability, and was Level 16. It went down a lot quicker than Raichu did. It wasn't very fast and so far, both have poor Defense. Why?

Mark decided it was time to eat. After fixing up some sandwiches for lunch, he let out his Pokemon. Shadow Espeon stared at the Poke Chow while the others ate. "What's wrong?" Mark asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

The Espeon looked at him. _Where's my owner?_ she asked telepathically.

"He was a criminal," Mark explained everything as he'd done with Raichu and ended with the same promise. "Okay? Are you going to eat?"

The Espeon nodded and turned to her food. Eating slowly, she watched Raichu. He was like her, a Pokemon with its heart closed. Maybe this won't be so bad.

Mark smiled. He had five Pokemon, two that were Shadow Pokemon. Two down, over four hundred to go. This was getting fun in his opinion.

After lunch, Mark decided to train Shadow Raichu and Shadow Espeon. He ordered Sparks to fight them both at the same time, and the two Shadow Pokemon had to beat Sparks as a team under a time limit of one minute. The first few times they knocked out each other but after a while, they managed to hit Sparks with combos. After nearly three hours, the two finally beat Sparks in the time limit.

Mark's Shadow Monitor went off. Another Shadow Pokemon, a Shadow Umbreon, was nearby where he landed in the hay field. Running there, Mark encountered a girl with short light blue hair. "Are you Mark?" she asked.

"Yeah." Said Mark, throwing Mightyena out. "Let's just do this so I can go eat supper."

"Fine," said the girl, throwing out an Azumarill. "Let's do this! Azumarill, Bubblebeam!"

"Mightyena, Bite!"

Azumarill blew bubbles out of its mouth. Mightyena dodged most of them and bit Azumarill hard. The water mouse fainted. "Oh no! You big meanie!" she cried, returning it. "Go, Umbreon!"

The Umbreon popped out. It was still black but the yellow bands turned red and its eyes were glowing red.

"Finally!" said Mark. "Mightyena, Shadow Ball!"

Mightyena shot a huge black ball out of its mouth. It collided with Umbreon, knocking it flat. It struggled to its feet. "Umbreon, use Shadow Wave!"

Waves of shadow pulsed off its body, hitting Mightyena and knocking her a few feet back. Mightyena used Shadow Ball again and hit it hard. "Umbreon, use Shadow End!"

The Umbreon got up and rammed Mightyena, its body coated in the shadowy aura. Mightyena let loose one last Shadow Ball, knocking Umbreon down. Mark grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it. Umbreon was caught now.

The girl ran away like the other two trainers. Mark saw the Poke Ball had changed into a Snag Ball. He sighed and returned to the Pokemon Center. After fixing ham and mac-and-cheese for dinner, he let out all six of his Pokemon. He explained to Umbreon why it was with him and made it the same promise.

He pulled out his PDA and checked its stats, which were altered towards Attack like the others. Its Attack was five stars, Defense was two stars, Special Attack was two stars, Special Defense was one star, and Speed was three stars.

Its basic stats: it was male, 59 lbs, 3'03", Synchronize ability, and was Level 16 like Espeon. It went down quick, but its attacks were fast.

Mark looked over and saw Umbreon curled up beside Espeon. Mark smiled, knowing the two were in love and both had the same condition. It would make life easier for the both of them.

After washing the dishes, Mark climbed into bed, Sparks curled up by his side. He thought about the three Shadow Pokemon he now had. All different colored than normal and with glowing red eyes. Why did Cipher do this? To rule the world through Pokemon? And who are the trainers who have them? Servants of Cipher?

Mark fell asleep having the same dream as the night before. Standing at his window, a creature with glowing red eyes turned and leaped from the window sill and disappeared into the night to tell its master what it had learned from this new Snagger.

_Elsewhere on an unknown island…_

A Shadow Gengar entered a shadowy room and gave its report on the new Snagger, Mark. Instead of being purple, it was black with glowing red eyes and its teeth were sharper that usual.

A voice spoke from the darkness. "Excellent, Shadow Gengar. This new Snagger will have more trouble now that we have over four hundred Shadow Pokemon. And soon the legendaries will join them in my quest to rule the world."

The Shadow Gengar bowed and left, laughter echoing throughout the chamber.

**Next Chapter:** Not So Peaceful Anymore

"You there! You work for Cipher, don't you?" Mark yelled.

"So what if we do? So you're the new Snagger?" asked the boy, adjusting his glasses with a finger.

"Pathetic! Master said he was strong but you look like a weakling!" teased the girl, flipping her hair over he shoulder.

"Enough talk! Let's fight!" Mark growled.


	3. Chapter 3: Not So Peaceful Anymore

Chapter 3: Not So Peaceful Anymore

Mark yawned and woke up. Today was day three of his Shadow Pokemon mission. He had really hoped it had been a dream, but it was real and he had to deal with it. Today he was going to pack up and get moving. This place wasn't going to be safe for much longer if Cipher is looking for him, plus he had to find someone.

He hopped out of bed and looked at the necklace around his neck. The stone frightened him but the feathers were so cool. This was the only thing beside his Shadow Monitor that allowed him to see Shadow Pokemon.

He walked over to the desk and pulled out his giant brown book bag. It was big and slightly worn, but at least it still worked. He reached into the pockets of his jacket and pulled out some items: some Potions, two Antidotes, some Protein and Carbos, a Revival Herb, his Journal, and a Yellow Flute. He stuffed those into the bag and shoved more items and Poke Balls in it too. He then put some clothes, food, drinks, and Poke Chow in the bag too. Now he was all ready to go.

He sighed as he pulled the bag's strap onto his shoulder. The life of a Pokemon trainer was hard but worth it. He had to travel from city to city, battling trainers, Gym leaders and wild Pokemon. He also met people and Pokemon, with adventure around every corner. Now he had to do it all over again, starting in Kanto.

After waking Sparks up, he went downstairs to check out. He wouldn't leave just yet because Shadow Pokemon were still around here, mostly low-level ones but a few high-level Pokemon were here too. He would meet that certain someone at Prof. Oak's Lab and then talk to the old man about this. Maybe he knew what Cipher was.

He walked up to the desk and told Nurse Joy he was leaving. She nodded and bid him farewell. Mark then walked out the door and headed for Prof. Oak's Lab.

Suddenly his Shadow Monitor went off. There was a Shadow Pokemon near the Lab. No, there were two Shadow Pokemon: a Shadow Rattata and a Shadow Pidgey. Now he could catch more of them.

Racing to the Lab, he spotted a girl with brown hair and a boy with black hair. "You there! You work for Cipher, don't you?" Mark yelled.

"So what if we do? So you're the new Snagger?" asked the boy, adjusting his glasses with a finger.

"Pathetic! Master said he was strong but you look like a weakling!" teased the girl, flipping her hair over he shoulder.

"Enough talk! Let's fight!" Mark growled.

Sparks leapt off his shoulder as the two trainers threw out their Shadow Pokemon. In no time, the two were caught and their trainers ran. A young girl with shoulder-length blue hair ran over to him and waved. "Hey, Mark! What's with those Pokemon?" she called.

Mark looked at the two new Shadow Pokemon. The Rattata was red instead of purple and had glowing red eyes. The Pidgey was red where it was supposed to be brown and also had glowing red eyes. But neither had disappeared yet.

Whenever you have six Pokemon, any others you catch are transported to your Pokemon storage unit. He had eight but none had transported away from him yet. Why?

"Oh, hey Alex!" Mark said.

Alex had short blue hair and blue eyes. She wore a blue tie-dye T-shirt, dark blue shorts, and blue and white tennis shoes. She smiled and plucked Sparks from his shoulder, cuddling the cute electric mouse.

An old man with graying hair ran down the steps of the lab towards them. He wore a long white lab coat over a lavender shirt, brown pants, and brown loafers. He was Prof. Oak, the highest authority in Pokemon research in Kanto. "Are you two alright?" he asked as he reached them.

"Yeah," said Mark, returning the two Shadow Pokemon. "We're okay? Why, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Those two have been around here since yesterday, badgering me about information on you, Mark." The professor said. "Oh! Come in, I have something I would like to discuss with the two of you."

"Okay," said Alex, running up the steps towards the Lab.

While walking, Mark checked Rattata and Pidgey's stats. Rattata's stats were altered towards Attack, three stars, and Speed, two stars. Defense, Special Defense, and Special Attack all had one star. It was male, 1'00", 7 lbs, Run Away ability, and was Level 6.

Pidgey had two stars for both Speed and Attack, while Special Attack, Special Defense, and Defense all had one star. It was male, 1'00", 4 lbs, Keen Eye ability, and was Level 5.

Once the three were inside the building, Prof. Oak told them to sit. Once seated, Prof. Oak began to speak. "Now, young man," he said sternly to Mark. "How did you catch those people's Pokemon? And what is that device?"

"Look," Mark started. "I had to catch those Pokemon because they're Shadow Pokemon, Pokemon who've had their hearts closed by an evil organization called Cipher. My job is to catch all of them and purify them, somehow."

"Cipher, eh?" muttered Prof. Oak, rubbing his chin. "I believe my son, Gary, mentioned them once. Something about closing hearts, but this is the result? Why are they doing this?"

"Don't know, man. This necklace allows me to see Shadow Pokemon. And this is a PDA, Pokemon Digital Assistant. It lets me know where the Shadow Pokemon are and who has them. So far I have five Shadow Pokemon, but none have been transported away from me."

"I wonder why that is." Prof. Oak mumbled. "Anyway, you can catch these Pokemon? How? Why?"

"I catch them with Snag Balls. And I do it because Cipher is treating them like machines for battle." Mark stated.

"Well then," Prof. Oak sighed. "I know! Here, come with me! Both of you!"

Prof. Oak led the two trainers downstairs to his laboratory. He picked up something and handed it to Mark. It looked like a black Pokedex. "What is it?"

"Something Gary made," Alex said. "I helped. He built it after finding out about Cipher. But it was never used until now."

"Mark," Prof. Oak said. "I want you to collect as much data as you can about Cipher and these Shadow Pokemon. You can keep this to help my son. All the info is forwarded to my son's PC."

"Okay." Mark said. This was feeling like his Pokemon journey all over again.

"Hey, can I come with you?" Alex asked.

"What?" said Mark.

"I said can I come. I want to help you beat Cipher." She said, smiling.

"No! It's too dangerous. Cipher will go after you too!" Mark argued.

"Well," she said slyly. "How about we battle? No Shadow Pokemon. If I win, I get to go. If you win, I'll stay. Okay?"

"Deal!" said Mark.

Prof. Oak led them to the backyard where they could battle. Sparks dashed out onto the field, ready to battle. Alex threw out her Sneasel. Prof. Oak raised a flag. "This Pokemon match will be a one-on-one. Each trainer will only use one Pokemon. Let the battle begin!"

"Sneasel, use Shadow Claw!" Alex yelled.

(Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Shadow Force, Shadow Punch and Shadow Sneak are not Shadow moves. They are Ghost moves.)

Sneasel's claws started to glow black. The Pokemon raced forward and slashed at Sparks, throwing the mouse Pokemon backward.

"Sparks, use Quick Attack and Iron Tail!" Mark yelled.

Sparks raced around, dodging Sneasel's attacks, and leapt into the air. Its tail started to glow silver. Sparks crashed its tail down on Sneasel's head, knocking it senseless for a few seconds.

"Sneasel, use Avalanche and then Ice Beam!"

Sneasel made lots of snow appear and crash down on Sparks, and then Sneasel opened its mouth. A jet of ice blasted out and froze the snow, leaving Sparks suspended and frozen inside.

"Sparks can no longer battle. The winner is Alex!" cried Prof. Oak.

"Yay! I win, you lose! Now I get to go too!" cried Alex, jumping around and hugging her Sneasel.

Mark called out his Salamence and had it use Fire Blast to free his Pikachu. Sparks slumped to the ground in defeat. The green-haired trainer glared at Alex. "Fine! You can come but no getting in my way! You have to follow my rules, understand?" Mark growled.

"Understood!" cried Alex, returning her Sneasel. She ran over and hugged Sparks. "When do we leave?"

"Uhhh, does now work?" Mark muttered.

"Sure! Just let me get my stuff." Alex said, rushing back to the lab. She came back with a large blue backpack slung over her shoulder. "Ready to go!" she cried.

"Okay," mumbled Mark. "We'll be leaving tomorrow, Prof. Oak, so if you need us, look at my house."

"Okay! Goodbye and good luck, you two!" the professor called, waving goodbye as the two trainers walked down the road to their houses, which were next to each other. Now that he had a sidekick, things were going to get a lot rougher. Hopefully not too rough for him or his Pokemon.

**Next Chapter:** Leaving Pallet Town

"Well now, here's Mark the Snagger." The boy said with a smirk. His hand was trailing down to his belt where his Poke Balls were.

"Yeah, I guess so. We'll beat you, unlike our companions." the girl said, pulling out a Poke Ball from the pouch on her belt.

"Whatever. Let's just battle so I can get those Pokemon away from you." Mark growled, throwing his Pikachu out into the battle.

"Gladly," said the boy, throwing out a Spearow.

"Totally," giggled the girl, throwing out an Ekans. "Prepare to lose, Snagger!"


	4. Chapter 4: Leaving Pallet Town

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own Mark, Alex, the Cipher goons I made, and my own various Shadow attacks, items, places, and Shadow Pokemon descriptions

Chapter 4: Leaving Pallet Town

Mark woke up in his room in his old house. He started his journey in Pallet Town from this very same place, and now he was about to do it again. He lived alone since both of his parents disowned him for an unknown reason.

He got up and entered the kitchen to get breakfast. He let out all eight of his Pokemon, including his two new Shadow Pokemon, Rattata and Pidgey. After feeding them and explaining to the new Pokemon, he finished his own food. He decided to check in on Alex and see when she would like to leave.

But first he was going to gather some things from around his house. First off, he grabbed his laptop PC and the Potion that sat next to it. He went downstairs to see Alex sprawled out on the couch, her Sneasel sleeping by her side. He'd guessed she would end up coming to his house.

Sparks leaped off of his shoulder and ran over to the sleeping blue-haired girl. The Pikachu jumped onto her chest and started squeaking for her to wake up. After a few minutes, she woke up and stretched. Upon realizing Mark was in the room, she yelled at him to leave and threw her backpack at him as a warning. Mark turned and left since he didn't want to be beaten up by a very cranky Alex.

After getting dressed in her normal daywear, Alex ate breakfast and discussed what Gary had told her about Cipher. Mark recorded all of it into his PDA since his black Pokedex already had that info.

Finally, Mark got up to leave. "Come on, are we going?"

Alex didn't pay attention though. She was looking at his Shadow Pokemon and his necklace. "Those are Lugia and Ho-Oh's feathers, aren't they? And these are the Shadow Pokemon you've already caught?" she asked. "Can I try that on? What does it do?"

"It lets me see Shadow Pokemon. They're different color than normal Pokemon and have a shadowy aura around them." Mark explained. "And no, you can't try it on. It won't work for you. Only I can tell they are Shadow Pokemon."

Alex sighed and nodded. "Okay. How about we get going?"

"Sure," Mark said. Then his Shadow Monitor started beeping. "Uh oh. Looks like a Shadow Pokemon's nearby."

"What? Where?" Alex cried, leaping from the table and looking at the PDA.

Mark looked. It was a Shadow Weedle and a Shadow Caterpie. A two for one deal, just like before. And they were just outside Alex's house.

"There are two just outside your house." Mark said, watching with amusement as Alex jumped and then froze in shock. "We going?"

"Yeah, let's go." Alex said fearfully.

Running outside, Mark ran into a grassy field and spotted the two trainers. One was a green-haired boy and the other was a green-haired girl with her hair in a braid. They had on black clothing just like the previous Cipher goons.

"Well now, here's Mark the Snagger." The boy said with a smirk. His hand was trailing down to his belt where his Poke Balls were.

"Yeah, I guess so. We'll beat you, unlike our companions." the girl said, pulling out a Poke Ball from the pouch on her belt.

"Whatever. Let's just battle so I can get those Pokemon away from you." Mark growled, throwing his Pikachu out into the battle.

"Gladly," said the boy, throwing out a Spearow.

"Totally," giggled the girl, throwing out an Ekans. "Prepare to lose, Snagger!"

"Crud," muttered Mark. Neither had thrown out their Shadow Pokemon. "Sparks, used Volt Tackle on both of them!"

Sparks raced forward, electricity crackling around its body as it slammed into both Pokemon. The Cipher goons cried in shock as their Pokemon were beaten. Then they threw out the Shadow Weedle and a Geodude. The Weedle was dark red instead of brown and has glowing red eyes.

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt!" Mark yelled.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" yelled the girl.

The Geodude threw rocks at Sparks, forcing the Pikachu to dodge. Sparks was no good against Rock-types. Luckily, Alex had a Pokemon that could beat Rock-types. "Poliwhirl, go help Sparks. Use Hydro Pump, pronto!" she yelled.

Alex's Poliwhirl blasted the Geodude away, leaving the Weedle wide open for an attack. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt but not too much!" Mark coached.

Sparks shocked the Bug Pokemon, causing it to topple to the ground. Mark threw a Poke Ball and caught it. The girl became scared and threw out her Shadow Caterpie, which was dark green with a purple antenna. The boy backed off, knowing he'd been beaten.

Sparks shocked the Caterpie too. Once that was done, Mark caught it and watched as the two trainers turned and ran away. Alex cheered and returned her Poliwhirl. "We did it! We caught two Shadow Pokemon! Hooray!"

Mark sighed and checked their stats. The Weedle had high Attack, two stars, and the others had one star. It was male, 1'00", 7 lbs, Shield Dust ability, and was Level 3.

The Caterpie had high Attack too, two stars, and all other stats had one star. It was female, 1'00", 6 lbs, Shield Dust ability, and was Level 3 too.

He checked Sparks' stats to see its levels. It had high Attack, three stars, and high Special Attack and Speed, both two stars. Defense and Special Defense each had one star. Sparks was male, 1'04", 13 lbs, Static ability, and was Level 32. His attacks were Thunderbolt and Quick Attack, both learned moves, while Iron Tail had been a TM and Volt Tackle had been an Egg Move.

Mark sighed and headed towards another house. It was home to his rival Jacob and his sister Mariah, both of whom are Pokemon trainers. He needed to get a Town Map again and she had loads.

Once at her house, he knocked on the door. A young woman of 18 opened the door. It was Mariah. "Oh, hello Mark. What are you doing here?"

"Going on a new journey," Mark replied. "Mind if I get a Town Map?"

"Sure, I'll get you one!" Mariah said, turning and disappearing into the house.

"Why do you need a map? Your PDA has one." Alex mumbled.

Before Mark could reply, Mariah returned with a map in hand. "Here you go!" she said, handing him the map. "What are you doing back here anyways, huh?"

"None of you business!" growled Alex.

"Alex!" hissed Mark, hitting her in the ribs. He turned to Mariah. "Just doing something for Prof. Oak and his son, Gary."

"Oh, okay then." Mariah said. "Well then, I won't keep you waiting. But you better get some more Poke Balls."

Mark realized that and nodded. "Yeah. Guess I better."

"See you!" called Mariah as the two trainers walked away.

After stopping at Prof. Oak's to get some more Poke Balls, since Pallet Town doesn't have a Poke Mart, Mark and Alex set off down the road where he fell into the hay after being assigned his mission.

They started walking along Route 1, walking through patches of grass in order to get through the openings in the fences. There were trees and flowers along the edges of it too, making it look very beautiful. Following the grass-lined path, they encountered few wild Pokemon. Alex did the battling mostly because Mark only wanted to battle Shadow Pokemon. They encountered no trainers but saw a man from the Viridian City Poke Mart.

"Hey, let's see what he's doing here!" said Alex, running over to the man. After a little chat, Alex came running back with a potion in hand. "Here! He gave us a free sample!"

"You keep it. You'll need it to fight all of those wild Pokemon." Mark said and walked on.

He knew there were ledges that trainers could hop down to completely avoid wild Pokemon. He headed towards one ledge and jumped down it when he saw what he wanted.

"What are you doing down there?" called Alex, peeking over the edge.

"Getting Bitter Berries!" Mark yelled, holding up a handful of them. "They're good for curing Confusion. Want some?"

"Sure! Just hurry, I want to get to Viridian before dark!" Alex called.

Mark gathered up a lot of the small, fleshy red berries. He stood up and shoved them into his Berry Pouch in his bag, and then climbed up the ledge wall. After pulling himself up, he walked over to Alex and walked down the path again.

Once they reached the end of the route, they saw two trainers standing at the exit. They were in all black and had Poke Balls in their hands. "Are you Mark?" asked the taller boy.

"Yeah, what do you want? Are you with Cipher?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, and we're here to take you down!" yelled the shorter boy, tossing out a Poke Ball.

The taller boy threw out a Poke Ball too. It was a Shadow Sentret and Shadow Hoothoot. The Sentret was red instead of brown and its stripes were pure black. The Hoothoot was black instead of brown and the markings around and above its eyes were purple. Both Pokemon had glowing red eyes.

"Alright Sparks, let's do this!" said Mark.

"Sneasel, let's get in there!" yelled Alex.

The Sneasel and Pikachu ran onto the battle field and prepared to fight. Sparks' cheeks were sparking and Sneasel's claws were twitching with the urge to fight.

"Sentret, use Shadow Rave!" yelled the shorter boy.

The Sentret placed its paws on the ground and started to glow purple. The ground started glowing and spikes blasted out of the ground. The spikes aimed at Sparks and shot towards the Pikachu, forcing it to dodge the spikes.

"Hoothoot, use Shadow Sky!" yelled the taller boy.

The Hoothoot flew into the air, causing the sky to turn black. The very air turned into darkness and hurt both Sneasel and Sparks. The two Pokemon struggled to their feet.

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt and then Iron Tail!" Mark ordered.

"Sneasel, use Avalanche and follow up with Ice Beam!" cried Alex.

The two Pokemon nodded and swapped opponents. Sparks shocked Sentret and then hit it on the head with Iron Tail, knocking it down. Sneasel threw loads of snow at Hoothoot, grounding it and then freezing it with Ice Beam. Mark threw two Poke Balls and captured the two Shadow Pokemon. The trainers turned tail and ran away.

"That was amazing! I beat a Shadow Pokemon!" Alex cried, raising a hand in the air. "Oh, yeah. Mark, what was that anyway?"

"What?" Mark asked.

"That shadowy stuff around those Pokemon, and they looked really different too." Alex said.

"What?!" Mark replied in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," Alex said. "What was that?"

"I bet the necklace is affecting you too." Mark muttered. "You can see Shadow Pokemon like I can. Now Cipher will target you too."

"You mean I can help now? Yes!" Alex cried.

"Alex!" he yelled. "This isn't fun and games! This is a real battle! The whole world's depending on this! If we screw up, there's no redoes, just game over! Cipher will win and we will die, got that?!"

Alex nodded. Mark, realizing he had snapped at her, looked away and took a deep breath. "So now there are two Snaggers?" Alex asked.

"I don't know, Alex," Mark mumbled as they left Route 1 behind them. "I really don't know."

_Elsewhere on an unknown island…_

"So, now there are possibly two Snaggers?" asked the voice from before.

A man with short purple hair nodded. "Yes sir. According to our files, the two Snaggers are Mark Hunter and Alex Windham of Pallet Town. Both are Pokemon trainers."

"Well then, I'll have to put on a show for them," the voice mumbled. "I can't let two children defeat me. Not like before on Orre, not this time! How is the Shadow Legendaries Project?"

"Going well, sir, though we haven't been able to keep them fully contained. The Shadow can't fully control them because of their immense power."

"Keep trying," the voice ordered. "In the mean time, send out a few more trainers. Keep their Shadow Pokemon as low of levels as possible. We're better off without the lower level evolutions anyway."

"Yes sir." the man said, leaving the room as laughter echoed throughout the dark chamber.

**Next Chapter:** Project Shadow Legendaries

Nurse Joy informed them that Prof. Oak is on the video phone. Making their way to it, Mark saw Prof. Oak's face and said, "Hey Prof! What's up?"

"Shadow Pokemon, that's what!" cried Prof. Oak. "Hundreds have been spotted all over the place: in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Orre!"

"Hey, hey!" cried Alex. "Calm down! We can't be everywhere at once!"

"Where are you two?" asked Prof. Oak.

"We just came into Viridian." Mark answered. "I snagged two more Shadow Pokemon. I'll send you the data right away."

"Alright," said Prof. Oak.


	5. Chapter 5: Project Shadow Legendaries

Chapter 5: Project Shadow Legendaries

Mark looked at his PDA to check his new Sentret and Hoothoot's stats. Sentret's Attack had two stars and Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed each had one star. It was female, 2'07", 13 lbs, Run Away ability, and was Level 5.

The Hoothoot's Attack was two stars and its other stats had one star each. It was male, 2'04", 46 lbs, Insomnia ability, and was Level 7.

They were staying in the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. It was night outside and Alex was asleep on the bottom bunk with her Sneasel. Mark looked at the ceiling, thinking about his mission and Oak's message.

_Flashback, earlier that afternoon_

Mark and Alex entered the Pokemon Center, deciding to rent a room there. So far they had encountered no more Cipher goons, but more would come sooner or later.

Nurse Joy informed them that Prof. Oak is on the video phone. Making their way to it, Mark saw Prof. Oak's face and said, "Hey Prof! What's up?"

"Shadow Pokemon, that's what!" cried Prof. Oak. "Hundreds have been spotted all over the place: in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Orre!"

"Hey, hey!" cried Alex. "Calm down! We can't be everywhere at once!"

"Where are you two?" asked Prof. Oak.

"We just came into Viridian." Mark answered. "I snagged two more Shadow Pokemon. I'll send you the data right away."

"Alright," said Prof. Oak. "Now listen to me. I recently got an e-mail from someone called Shadow Master. I gained some knowledge on something called a purification process. He said you must open the door to a Shadow Pokemon's heart through battle. When its heart is open fully, you can take them to a secret location and purify them, making them officially your Pokemon."

"Ho-Oh mentioned a purification process," Mark mumbled quietly. Then he said, "Do you know who Shadow Master is?"

"No, I couldn't track it." Prof. Oak said sadly. "Whoever he is must really want to help us if he's giving us this information."

"Did he say anything else?" asked Alex.

"Why, yes he did," said Prof. Oak. "He said Shadow Pokemon are mysterious. They are normal Pokemon who've had their hearts closed, turning them into battle machines. That necklace you have allows you and others close to you to identify Shadow Pokemon. When you spot one, it's up to you to Snag it from that trainer and capture it."

"Anything else?" asked Mark.

"Yes. He also said that when you first get them, their hearts will be completely shut. But as you use it in battle, the door will slowly open. When the door is fully open, you can purify them at the Relic Stone in Orre or at another secret location. The closed heart is represented by a five-segment gauge on your PDA called the Heart Gauge. As the gauge empties, the Pokemon will remember its original moves. Once purified, it will gain all the experience it built up as a Shadow Pokemon and you can give it a nickname. Other ways of purification are through the Time Flute or a Cologne Massage therapy, which some Shadow Pokemon respond extremely well to."

"I already knew most of that but thanks, Prof. Oak." Mark said as he shut off the video phone.

_End flashback_

"I wonder," Mark mumbled as he stroked Espeon's fur. He'd allowed Espeon, Umbreon and Raichu out of their Poke Balls for the night. The three Shadow Pokemon and Sparks were asleep around him. "Who is this Shadow Master? Is he linked to Cipher, and how does he know about me?"

Mark ended up rolling over and falling asleep. He had the exact same nightmare as before, but this time he was sure he saw glowing red eyes in the darkness surrounding him.

_Elsewhere on the unknown island's lab…_

Scientists were looking into the glass tube that held a suspended Mew, one of the rarest Pokemon on Earth. They had been trying to turn it into a Shadow Pokemon along with the other legendaries, but it wasn't working yet. Now they had a new plan.

"Is the specimen ready yet?" asked the purple-haired man from before.

"Yes sir! Mew is asleep and those bands around its paws will prevent it from using its psychic powers." another scientist said.

"Good. Let's begin." the purple-haired man said. He pulled a lever and darkness filled the tube, surrounding Mew. Instantly Mew writhed in pain, trying to awaken. "What's happening? Why isn't it working?"

"Sir," said one of the scientists. "It's too powerful. If we apply anymore power, the generator could explode!"

"I don't care!" yelled the purple-haired man. "Put the power up to 60, now!"

The darkness thickened and Mew writhed even more, struggling to throw off the shadows that tried to control it. "It's still not working, sir!"

"Put the power up to 75, now!" the purple-haired man yelled.

"Yes sir!"

Even more darkness flooded the tube, turning it pitch black. A small, strangled scream erupted from the glass tube and suddenly the tube shattered. The darkness disappeared, leaving the gasping Mew behind.

The purple-haired man smiled as he inspected Mew. "Excellent," he muttered. "See, men? It's possible to turn a Legendary into a Shadow Pokemon! It's been done before, and now it's been done again! I present to you, Shadow Mew!"

Mew opened its eyes but instead of being blue, they were red and glowing. Its pink body turned jet black, and the ends of its paws and the tip of its tail turned blood red. Violet sparks came from its paws and it was surrounded by a shadowy aura. "Mew!" it said.

_Back in Viridian City…_

Mark woke up for yet another day of battling. He checked his PDA for the heads up on what he was to expect in this city. There was a grand total of eight Shadow Pokemon throughout the city, most around Levels 5-13.

He quietly climbed out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Upon entering, he stopped when he saw his Shadow Espeon sitting on the floor with her food bowl levitating in front of her. The red Espeon looked up when she heard him enter. _How was your rest, master?_

"Master?" questioned Mark. "Look, I'm your trainer. I'm not your master, I'm your friend. We're equals, so don't call me that. Okay?"

_Yes, mas — I mean, yes Mark._ The Espeon said telepathically. _Why are you taking us from our trainers, anyway?_

"Espeon, I've told you this before. They're bad people who only want to use you for fighting." Mark said, grabbing a bag of Poke Chow. "Those guys, Cipher, are shutting your hearts and emotions away and making you into soulless battle machines. They make you act odd and irrational, even feral at some time or another. It's just not right, they shouldn't do that to you Pokemon. It would be like turning a human into a Shadow human, it's just not right."

_But isn't this the way we were born, Mark?_ Espeon asked. _Aren't we normal?_

"Yeah, because nobody can see the real you like us. But yeah, you're normal as any Espeon. You're just red with red eyes and only know Shadow moves." Mark said, sitting in one of the chairs with a soda in one hand.

_Shadow moves?_

"Yeah, your attacks cast a shadowy aura. Normal attacks don't do that since your attacks are…" Mark filled her bowl up with Poke Chow. "Special. Yeah, that's it, they're special moves that only Pokemon like you can use."

_Oh,_ Espeon said, her ears drooping slightly. _So we aren't real Pokemon, right? We're just too different, right?_

"What? Where did _that_ come from?!" said Mark. "You're real, but you're just different. Being different has its good and bad points. Everything is different because if we were all the same, life would be boring."

_Oh, okay then!_ Espeon ate her food, a smile on her furry face. _Thank you for saving me, Mark. I'm glad you did._

Mark leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Sure, Espeon, you're welcome." He took a big gulp of his soda and continued to watch the ceiling, oblivious to the shadow outside of his door.

Alex walked in and noticed the shadow instantly. "Mark, there's someone outside!"

Mark promptly choked on his soda and stumbled to the door, gagging. Espeon trotted alongside him, fur already bristling in preparation for battle.

The green-haired boy opened the door and was met by the sight of a blonde girl wearing a blue dress with black streaks on it. "Is this the room of a Mr. Mark Hunter and Ms. Alex Windham?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah, so what? Are you a Cipher Peon?" growled Alex. She'd become suspicious of anybody since joining Mark in Pallet Town. "If you want a battle, then we brought it!"

"Alex!" hissed Mark. "Shut up, why would she be a Cipher Peon?"

"Actually, she's right," said the blonde. "Mind meeting me outside in an hour? I'll be waiting for our battle, Mr. and Ms. Snagger." She turned and left.

"What?" said Mark. "Wonder what Shadow Pokemon she has?"

He pulled out his PDA and searched for her face in the list of trainers in Viridian that had a Shadow Pokemon. When he found her, he checked for a Shadow Pokemon. She had a Shadow Poliwag and a Shadow Tentacool, both Water-types that Sparks could take down easily.

"Okay, get ready for a battle, Alex!" said Mark, a grin on his face.

_Elsewhere on a misty sea…_

"Agent 69, are you there?" said a voice from a walkie talkie. "I have a mission for you. Do you read me, Agent 69?"

A boy around 14 glared at the walkie talkie. He was wearing a black robe over a gray shirt with white stripes running up the arms, gray pants with white stripes running down the leg line, white tennis shoes, and gray gloves. He had short white hair and stormy gray eyes. He was riding on the back of a purple Lapras that had a spiky black shell and a black aura around it.

Finally he picked it up and answered, "Agent 69 here, what's my new mission?"

"Ah, there you are." The voice said, sounding relieved. "Your new mission is to eliminate two Snaggers who are currently following in the previous two Snaggers' footsteps."

The boy looked up and grinned at the thick mist covering the sea. "Don't worry, boss, I'll do it. I'll beat those kids and make it fun too. That or my name isn't Agent 69, or Gym Leader Mist."

"Ah, so I see they informed you of your other mission, to take over Cerulean City Gym. Is that mission complete?"

"Yes sir, the Gym is mine now." Agent 69, or Mist, said. "Those kids will have to come there eventually, right?"

"Of course, now onto the topic of your Pokemon and your powers." The voice said. "Have you chosen who you'll be battling alongside? You know that only the lower Levels are being used at the moment."

"I know, so I'll be choosing…"

"Excellent," the voice replied. "Head for the Cerulean City Gym and wait for those two Snaggers. I'll have three Cipher Peons come with you to assist if they happen to beat you."

"Yeah right!" laughed Mist. "They'll never beat me! But I could use someone to test out my powers on, so bring them on over!"

"Good, now go." The voice finished before ending the communication link.

Mist looked out onto the misty sea and grinned like a maniac. "This'll be fun. Wonder how strong these brats really are? Better give me a work-out or someone's in trouble." He looked at his Shadow Lapras. "Let's go, girl. Head for the Cerulean City Gym! I've got some Snaggers to cream!"

The Lapras let out a shrill cry and swam quickly towards Cerulean City. Mark smiled. _Throw anything you want at me, Snaggers! I can guarantee it will come back at you a thousand times stronger! Never mess with Cipher, kids!_

**Next Chapter:** Lurking Dangers

"So this is Cerulean Gym? Weird, it doesn't look like before." Alex said.

"I know," muttered Mark. "Prof. Oak was right. Cipher really did take over this place. But what do they want with the gyms?"

"We took the gyms so that we can extend our reach and our control of the planet, _Snaggers_!!" laughed a voice.

"Who's there?!" cried Alex. Her Sneasel leaped in front of her, claws ready to rip and kill to protect its trainer.

"Are you a Cipher Peon?" yelled Mark. Sparks, Espeon, Umbreon and Raichu surrounded Mark incase they were attacked.

"You could say that, though I'm something a lot worse than those dumb little pawns!" laughed the voice. A boy with white hair and gray eyes leaped down to the pool in the middle of the gym, only to stop inches off of the surface of the water.

"He's floating!!" cried Alex.

"Of course, Snagger!" laughed the boy. "I'm a psychic and the leader of this gym. I'm Mist of Cipher and I'm your executioner, Snaggers!!"

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This guy, Mist, was created in honor of my friend Mist-Sensei (and his brother), who has helped me by praising my story and suggesting things that could happen. Mist will be a major character later on and is one of the main villains (for now that is!). If you haven't figured it out by now, I will be partially following the Fire-Red and Leaf-Green versions throughout Mark and Alex's journeys in Kanto. Thank you all and hope you enjoy the story so far!


	6. Chapter 6: Lurking Dangers

Hi everybody! Here's the next chapter! Just as a warning, Mist will be using physical violence right now so be prepared for it.

Chapter 6: Lurking Dangers

Mark and Alex walked over to the Viridian city Poke Mart. It had been nearly a half hour since the blonde Cipher Peon had asked for a battle. Mark was going to get more items for himself and, unfortunately, Alex. She was broke and had to rely on him for now to get items and things.

"So, what are we getting?" Alex asked for the fourth time since they'd left the Pokemon Center.

Mark sighed and said, "I'm getting some Potions, Antidotes, a Burn Heal, some Paralyze Heal, an Awakening, and maybe Revive. I'm getting you some Full heals, an Antidote, a Hyper Potion, and maybe some Flower Mail so you can write letters to home."

"Yay! Flower Mail is so cool!" giggled Alex, skipping with her Sneasel.

"Whatever… girls are so weird," Mark mumbled. His Espeon gave him a dirty look and he quickly added, "But girl Pokemon are awesome!"

"We're here, Mark!" cried Alex, happily skipping into the giant store. Mark grunted something about 'expensive girls' before reluctantly following her inside.

Nearly twenty minutes later, they come back outside. Alex is swinging a bright pink bag around while Mark carries at least six other larger bags, even carrying one in his mouth! Espeon and Sneasel are carrying small bags while Sparks is supporting a larger one on Mark's shoulder, clearly struggling to get free.

"Alex, I think you overdid it! I spent over 4,000 Poke Dollars getting all this stuff and I'm carrying most of it! AAHHH!!!"

Mark nearly tipped over under the weight of the bags. Luckily, his Mightyena popped out of her Poke Ball and grabbed some of the larger bags in her jaws. Sparks happily allowed Mightyena to take the bag he was carrying and even Espeon gave some of the bags to the bigger, stronger Pokemon.

"Come on, Mark! Let's get this stuff packed and get to your battle already!" Alex called.

"Coming!" yelled Mark.

After packing the stuff, the two Pokemon trainers headed towards the Pokemon Academy, a building in the middle of Viridian City that is dedicated to teaching the basics of Pokemon to inexperienced trainers. Many trainers in Viridian went there, making it an ideal place to go for a battle.

When they both got there, they spotted the blonde Cipher Peon from before. She already had her two Shadow Pokemon out to fight. Alex looked at Mark and backed off, guessing he would battle this one out on his own. "Are you really from Cipher?" Mark asked, noticing his Espeon bristling again.

"Well, yeah," the Cipher Peon replied. "I'm the one that trained that Espeon there. She was _supposed_ to be loyal, but she decided to team up with the two annoying little Snaggers. I'll take out that pest once and for all."

"Yeah right! Let's just battle! I'm tired of talking to Cipher Peons. Espeon, Mightyena, get out there!" Mark yelled. The two Pokemon raced out onto the field.

"Go Poliwag, Tentacool! Let's cool that hothead off!" the blonde laughed as her two Water-types ran forward, both coated in a shadowy aura.

Mark looked at the two Shadow Pokemon. The Poliwag was black with glowing red eyes and the Tentacool was purple with red eyes. Both were Shadow Pokemon and were at full health from the looks of it, though Mark could see what looked like whip marks on them. "Why are those Pokemon hurt?" he demanded.

"I have to get them to obey one way or another, so I just use brute force." The blonde said. "Poliwag, use Shadow Whirlpool! Tentacool, use Shadow Sting!"

The Poliwag jumped into a nearby puddle and created a huge whirlpool with it. The Water Pokemon threw the attack at Espeon, tossing her halfway across the battlefield. The Tentacool shot violet needles at Mightyena, throwing her back a few feet and poisoning her.

"Oh no! Espeon, use Shadow hold and follow up with Shadow Panic! Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" Mark ordered.

Espeon cast shadows throughout the battlefield and made them start pulsing, confusing both Water Pokemon. Mightyena shot off a few Shadow Balls and soon won the battle. After catching the two new Shadow Pokemon, the blonde ran away.

Mightyena limped over to Mark and whimpered. He kneeled down and pulled a Pecha Berry out of his pocket. The Dark-type ate it happily. "There you go, girl. I can't have you getting poisoned. You both did perfect and that combo was amazing, you even had me surprised." Mark chuckled as he stroked the two Pokemon.

_We won together, didn't we, Mark?_ Espeon asked calmly. _You won two new friends and I won my revenge._

"Yeah, Espeon, we won," Mark said. "We won."

_In the Cerulean City Gym…_

Mist sat in a chair in a dark room, watching a screen that showed the two Snaggers and their Pokemon winning another battle and two more Shadow Pokemon. He was becoming very annoyed with these two. "Why won't they get here already?" he growled. "No matter, I'll just bring them here myself." Mist snapped his fingers.

_With Mark and Alex…_

"We won! We won! We won!" Alex cried, jumping around.

"Alex, calm down! We still have to—what the heck?!!" Mark yelped.

He, Alex and the Pokemon were vanishing. Suddenly they were in front of a gym, one Mark recognized instantly. "This is… Cerulean City Gym," Mark panted. "But how did we get here?"

"I don't know," Alex sighed. "Hey, why's that PDA thing beeping?"

"What?!" Mark said, snatching the PDA from his belt. Flipping it open, a video projection of Prof. Oak appeared. "Hey, Prof. Oak. What're you doing calling me right now? We're kind of in a jam!"

"Yeah, well so are the gym leaders!" Prof. Oak growled roughly. "Cipher's managed to gain control of the gyms and the Pokemon Leagues. All the Kanto Gym Leaders are right here in my lab, demanding to know what's going on!"

"I don't know, but I've got my own problems! We were teleported right to Cerulean City Gym!" Mark said. Suddenly he heard a bunch of familiar voices coming from Prof. Oak's end of the line.

"Prof. Oak, is that Mark? What'd he say about my gym?" asked a female voice. "Give me that!"

The projection changed. Instead of Prof. Oak standing there, Misty was standing there. "Misty, leader of Cerulean Gym?!" gasped Alex. "What's she doing in your PDA?"

Mark shrugged. "What are you doing at my gym?" asked Misty in the most controlled voice possible. "My gym was just taken by someone! You have to get out of there! You're just kids, what can you do?!"

"Save the world?" suggested Mark. "Look, Misty, I got to go. I'll free your gym. Heck, I'll free everyone's gym if you want but I'm going to stop Cipher, no matter the cost. I gotta go now, bye bye!"

"Wait, Mark!!" cried Misty, but Mark hung up.

Mark turned to look at the gym and entered. Alex followed him, the Pokemon coming with. As soon as they entered, Pikachu started sparking again. Mark looked around the gym and noticed a large amount of mist was coming from the giant pool in the middle of the gym.

Alex ran over and stuck a finger in the water, only to withdraw it quickly with a squeak. "Man, that is _freezing_ cold water!! Whoever did this really must like the cold."

"Really, this whole room is freezing!" muttered Mark.

"So this is Cerulean Gym? Weird, it doesn't look like before." Alex said.

"I know," muttered Mark. "Prof. Oak was right. Cipher really did take over this place. But what do they want with the gyms?"

"We took the gyms so that we can extend our reach and our control of the planet, _Snaggers_!!" laughed a voice.

"Who's there?!" cried Alex. Her Sneasel leaped in front of her, claws ready to rip and kill to protect its trainer.

"Are you a Cipher Peon?" yelled Mark. Sparks, Espeon, Umbreon and Raichu surrounded Mark incase they were attacked.

"You could say that, though I'm something a lot worse than those dumb little pawns!" laughed the voice. A boy with white hair and gray eyes leaped down to the pool in the middle of the gym, only to stop inches off of the surface of the water.

"He's floating!!" cried Alex.

"Of course, Snagger!" laughed the boy. "I'm a psychic and the leader of this gym. I'm Mist of Cipher and I'm your executioner, Snaggers!!"

"Do you like the cold or something, dude?" asked Alex, forcing herself to not shiver.

"Why, yes. I actually enjoy the cold. And so do my Pokemon! Come on out, Lapras!" he yelled.

A purple Lapras burst forth from the pool, its black shell sparkling from the water. It turned its glowing red gaze towards the two Snaggers and let out a shrill cry. Mark and Alex just gaped at the size of it. This was the biggest Shadow Pokemon they've encountered so far and probably the most powerful yet.

"Sneasel, let's get to it!" Alex managed to say through her chattering teeth.

"Sparks, go with Sneasel!" cried Mark.

Both Pokemon raced ahead and got prepared to attack. Sneasel used Shadow Claw and Sparks used Thunderbolt, both having no effect. Lapras shrugged off each attack as if they were just gnats buzzing around its head.

"Why can't we beat it, Mark?" whimpered Alex, shivering like crazy.

"I don't know," said Mark. "Our Pokemon aren't strong enough to beat it."

"How about we lower the temperature a little more?" chuckled Mist. "Lapras, use Shadow Chill!"

Lapras opened its mouth and unleashed a large blast of ice that covered every surface with a thick coating of ice. The trainers started slipping and sliding while the Pokemon tried to grip the ice and get at a good angle to attack from. Mist simply levitated a few inches above the thick layer of ice covering the gym floor and quietly made his way towards the two Snaggers.

"You think you're so smart, huh?" Mist taunted, kicking Sneasel over and sending it spiraling into the pool. "You think you can beat us, huh?" Mist kicked Sparks into a nearby wall, leaving a large crack in the ice-covered wall. "Well, you're wrong. Cipher will _not_ face defeat at the hands of children ever again!"

"Why are you doing this?" panted Mark. The cold was stealing his breath and making it harder to breathe. "Why are you with Cipher?"

"Easy," said Mist, kicking Alex into the ladder leading into the pool and knocking her unconscious. "They offered me power and helped me gain control of my own powers. Being a psychic is good but the powers take a long time to properly control. But Cipher helped me and now I'm their pawn, but who cares? At least I can use my powers to do whatever I want and get away with it."

Mark let out Mightyena and Salamence. Lapras froze Salamence and Mightyena in a thick block of ice, and even froze Espeon's paws to the floor. Mist kicked Umbreon into the pool and hit Raichu with a blast of blue energy that knocked it out. Mist then turned to Mark and his Espeon.

"How cute," Mist teased. "An Espeon willing to guard its trainer with its very life. Such loyalty is misplaced in this boy since he cannot help you nor save you, Espeon. Why help him?"

Espeon was growling, her fur rising in anger. _Because he is a lot better of a trainer that Cipher ever will be. He will defeat you and we will become normal once again, I guarantee it!!_

"Such loyalty is misplaced." Mist repeated and proceeded to beat her senseless. After that, he turned to Mark. "Now you will be finished off, just as master ordered."

"What Cipher is doing is wrong and I know that you know it!!" Mark yelled.

Mist stumbled backwards. This kid… he could sense a lot of things in this boy but courage stood out the most. This kid was pretty brave to yell at a Cipher Admin, not even the gym leaders had done that. Sure, they yelled at him and the others to get out of their gyms but none of them so much as mentioned Cipher like this kid had.

Mist growled and punched Mark hard, sending him flying into a wall. "SHUT UP!!" Mist yelled. "I don't know how you get off thinking that you can save everybody but you just can't, so stop acting tough and just go home!!"

"No," wheezed Mark. "I can't. Those Pokemon need me. I promised Ho-Oh… and Lugia."

"Promises don't mean anything!!" Mist yelled. "They're just words! They're not worth risking your life over!!"

"Yes, they are," panted Mark, struggling to get up. "Promises are meant to be kept, not broken."

"If you get up, I'll kill you! Are you really willing to die over some stupid promise?!" Mist yelled, starting to panic. No one had taken this much from him before, no one. What was with this kid?

"I bet," panted Mark. "Someone made a promise to you and they broke it. I bet it happened a lot to you, and that's why you think promises are worthless. Maybe you've never had a promise like mine."

"What?"

"I think you're really afraid of making a promise because someone keeps breaking them to you." Mark said.

Mist glared at the ground, which started to melt. _Those words,_ he thought. _Those are the same words that_ she_ said to me!! Why? Why?!_

Mist threw Mark into a wall and held him there, hoping the kid would die. But Mark wasn't dead. Mist dropped him and unfroze the gym with his powers. Turning to Lapras, he climbed on her back and ordered her to head for base. He didn't know why but he just couldn't kill that kid.

"Why? Why did he have to say that?" mumbled Mist as he left Cerulean Gym behind. "Why did he sound so much like _her_?!"

_Three hours later, Cerulean Gym…_

Mark woke up. The last thing he remembered was Mist throwing him into a wall and then everything had gone black. Was he dead? No, the gym was still cold but was getting warmer. Where was Ale—

Alex!! That's right, Mist hurt her and the Pokemon! Sitting up quickly, he looked towards the ladder and spotted Alex laying there. He crawled over and shook her, begging God that she was alive. She rolled over and groaned for more sleep before waking up and remembering everything.

"Sneasel! Where is he?" she cried, looking around for the Dark/Ice type Pokemon.

They found Sneasel and Umbreon laying on the edge of the pool, both unconscious but alive. After returning all of their Pokemon, they left for the nearest Pokemon Center.

Mark looked out the window of their new room an hour later and thought, _Why didn't he kill me? Who is he and will we meet him again?_

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

"Agent 69, did you lose to the two Snaggers?" questioned the voice in the dark room.

Mist sat on the floor, head bowed in respect. "Yes sir, but I managed to escape with my Shadow Pokemon. I still have control over Cerulean Gym, so I still have another chance."

"Of course. You may leave now."

"Thank you, sir." Mist got up and left the dark room.

Later on in the hallways of the base on the unknown island, Mist walked to his room and entered it, locking the door after him. Sitting on the bed, he looked out the window and thought about the new Snaggers and what that boy, Mark, had said to him.

_Why did he say that? Why did he say the same thing that she did all those years ago?_ Mist thought, his head spinning from the events of three hours ago. _Why did she come back? Why, God, why?_

Mist lies down and fell asleep within moments. His dreams were filled with mist and a young girl with orange hair wearing a straw hat and green dress.

**Next Chapter:** Battle on Route 22

"Who are you?" yelled Mark, glaring at the blonde trainer in front of him.

"I'm Dart of Cipher and leader of Pewter City Gym."

"We're nowhere near Pewter City," said Alex. "Why are you here? Are you looking for a fight?"

"Naturally." Dart said, throwing out a Poke Ball and unleashing a male and female Nidoran.

"They're Shadow Pokemon," Mark mumbled. "Sparks, let's beat this guy! Thunderbolt, now!!"


	7. Chapter 7: Battle on Route 22

Hi everybody, sorry for the wait! My mom went on a cruise and the school's been giving me too much homework, again!! And to answer Twin2's question, the Gym leaders that Cipher employs have permission to do anything possible to defeat an opponent, even hurting the Pokemon themselves. Mist hurt them because he knew Lapras would just be wasting its energy on their Pokemon, who are no where near Lapras' level. Glad you like the story and my characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own my characters, the Cipher goons, and my various made-up Shadow attacks (Like Shadow Whirlpool and Shadow Sting). Mist and Dart belong to Mist-Sensei, I'm just using them for my story with his permission

Chapter 7: Battle on Route 22

After staying the night in the Pokemon Center, Mark and Alex took the morning bus to Viridian City. They didn't want to stay in Cerulean in case that guy, Mist, was still there. Mark was sulking about not being able to catch that Lapras and was staring out the window glumly. Alex just read a book but got bored quickly and stared out the window.

The bus dropped them off at Route 22. If they headed east, they would reach Viridian City in less than a half hour. The bus had avoided the routes and had gone through open country to get there. Alex and Mark headed off, ready for a battle.

The followed the tree line and walked through more patches of grass. Alex battled the wild Pokemon in the grass patches. After passing over a hill, they arrived at a pond near a ledge that they had to jump over. Just as they approached the ledge, a 14 year old boy stepped out from behind some trees.

He had blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, brown boots, and brown gloves. A sheathed sword was slung across his back. Mark's PDA was beeping, signaling that he had a Shadow Pokemon.

"Who are you?" yelled Mark, glaring at the blonde trainer in front of him.

"I'm Dart of Cipher and leader of Pewter City Gym."

"We're nowhere near Pewter City," said Alex. "Why are you here? Are you looking for a fight?"

"Naturally." Dart said, throwing out a Poke Ball and unleashing a male and female Nidoran.

"They're Shadow Pokemon," Mark mumbled. "Sparks, let's beat this guy! Thunderbolt, now!!"

Sparks raced forward and shocked the two Poison Pokemon. The two Nidoran separated and attacked from the sides. The male hit Pikachu hard while the female missed by a hair.

"Sneasel, help Sparks out!" yelled Alex.

Sneasel ran towards the two Nidoran and managed to beat the female. The male Nidoran attacked from behind but got shocked by Sparks' Thunderbolt. After capturing the two Pokemon, Mark looked at Dart, who hadn't left yet.

"Why are you still here?" said Mark. "We won, so why haven't you run away like everyone else?"

"Because I'm not like everyone else," Dart said coldly. "You could say I'm like Mist, who I heard was almost beaten by you… almost."

"What about it? You know that guy?" Alex demanded. "Why did he hurt our Pokemon and us? That's against the rules!"

"It's against your _former_ gym rules." Dart corrected. "Cipher has made new rules allowing us to attack the opponent and their Pokemon with either our own Pokemon or ourselves. Times have changed, Snaggers, and you two are way in the past."

"Why didn't he kill me?" Mark growled.

Dart simply shrugged. "How should I know, Mark? He said something about Anna, but nothing much."

"Anna?" repeated Alex. "Who's she?"

"None of your business, girl!" Dart growled. "Machop, take those two down right now!!"

A Machop appeared out of its Poke Ball. It had a dark gray body, three dark brown head crests, and glowing red eyes. It cracked its knuckles threateningly as it glared at Sparks and Sneasel, and then it charged.

"Both of you dodge it!" Mark shouted.

The two Pokemon split up, avoiding Machop's punch. "You won't get away!" growled Dart. "Machop, use Shadow Kick and then Shadow Chop!"

Machop kicked Sneasel into a tree, snapping the tree in half. Then it raced towards Sparks and tried to hit it. The Pikachu kept dodging, avoiding its hands with every ounce of its energy.

"Sparks, help out Sneasel!" yelled Alex. "I have an idea!"

"What are you doing?" Mark asked.

"A combo." She said. "We combine the effects of Thunderbolt and Ice Beam to both fry it and freeze it. Fighting types can beat Ice-types, but Sparks' electric attack could help eliminate that weakness."

"That is…" Mark started. "A really good idea, Alex."

Alex smiled. "Thanks Mark!"

Sparks broke away from Machop and ran to Sneasel, helping it to its feet. Machop advanced on them, red eyes narrowed at how long it took to corner the duo. "Now Machop, finish it off with Shadow End!"

Machop prepared to attack, but that was all it took for both Sparks and Sneasel to hop to their feet and prepare their combo. Sparks' cheeks were sparking and Sneasel's breath became visible as its body temperature lowered. "Sparks, Sneasel, are you two ready?" Mark yelled. Both Pokemon nodded.

"Ready for what?" Dart asked. "Your defeat?"

"No, _your_ defeat!" Alex said. "Sneasel, use Ice Beam now!"

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt and combine it with Sneasel's Ice Beam!" Mark ordered.

The two attacks combined to form an ice attack with electricity flowing through it. Machop froze as the attack came at it, knowing this was its defeat. As the attack hit, Machop remained silent while Dart's jaw dropped at the power of this attack. Machop hit the ground and was captured by a Snag Ball.

"Alright, we win again!!" cried Alex. "That combo was totally awesome!!"

Dart sighed and walked off, saying, "You are getting stronger. But remember this, those were low level Pokemon. You haven't even begun to see the full power of the Cipher Gym Leaders." With that said, Dart vanished into the forest.

Mark sighed and hopped over the ledges to get back to Viridian City. After walking through a hole in the fence, they entered a building leading back to Viridian City.

After returning to the Pokemon Center for a quick healing, Mark pulled out his PDA to check his new Pokemon's stats. Before he checked it, he unleashed all of his Pokemon and fed them. Mark quickly noticed that the two Nidoran eating from the same bowl and assumed they were close to one another. _Just like Umbreon and Espeon are,_ he thought.

He checked on the two Nidoran's stats first. Nidoran male's Attack had three stars, Speed two stars, and Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense each had one star. It was 1'08", 19 lbs, Rivalry ability, and was Level 8.

Nidoran female's Attack and Defense was three stars while its other stats were one star each. This was the first Shadow Pokemon Mark had seen with an increased Defense stat. It was 1'04", 15 lbs, Poison Point ability, and was Level 8.

Machop's Attack was three stars, Special Attack was two stars, and its other stats were one star. It was male, 2'07", 43 lbs, Guts ability, and was Level 12. That meant it was the fourth strongest Shadow Pokemon he'd caught so far, just four levels behind Espeon and Umbreon.

He looked at all the Shadow Pokemon he had captured so far. Raichu was having a Poke Chow fight with Sparks, Espeon and Umbreon were being groomed by Alex, the Rattata was sitting on top of the chair while nibbling its food, Pidgey was sitting on Mightyena's back, Weedle was nibbling the leaves of a plant on the table, Caterpie was laying on Alex's lap, Sentret was laying on the couch, Hoothoot was standing on the top bunk, Tentacool and Poliwag were swimming in the sink that Alex was previously washing dishes in, the two Nidoran were eating their food, and Machop was doing a few stretches on the ground.

He remembered that he'd never gotten to check Tentacool or Poliwag's stats. He checked through his PDA until he reached the two Water Pokemon's files. Tentacool's Attack and Speed was three stars, Defense and Special Attack was two stars, and Special Defense was one star. It was male, 2'11", 100 lbs, Liquid Ooze ability, and was Level 10.

Poliwag's Speed was three stars, Attack and Defense was two stars, and Special Attack and Special Defense was one star. It was female, 2'00", 27 lbs, Water Absorb ability, and was Level 9.

"Mark, are you okay?" Alex asked, looking up from grooming Espeon and Umbreon. "You look sort of sad about something."

"Huh?" Mark replied, snapping back to reality. "It's nothing, Alex. That combo was pretty sweet today. Where did you get that idea from?" he asked, trying to change the topic.

"Oh, nowhere." Alex said truthfully. She got up and picked up Caterpie, cuddling with it happily. Espeon used her psychic powers to pick up the brush and resume grooming Umbreon and herself. "I was just trying to figure out a way to beat that Dart guy and the idea popped into my head."

"Wow, maybe your randomness is useful after all." Mark said, sitting on the couch and picking up Sentret. The Pokemon wriggled a little before curling up in Mark's arms.

"Shut up." Alex growled, putting Caterpie down and sitting beside Mark. "What's on your mind, oh great and mighty Snagger?"

Mark stared at her for a while before replying. "Don't ever call me that again… Ever. And I was just thinking about that Anna person."

"The one Dart mentioned?" Alex asked. "The person who's possibly the reason Mist didn't kill us?"

"Yeah," Mark said. "I wonder who she is, and if she's the one who broke all those promises to him and made him think they're worthless."

"Whatever. Come on, we have better things to do than think about those Cipher guys!" Alex said, hopping off the couch. "Like training these Shadow Pokemon so we can purify them."

Mark remained silent for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, you're right." He agreed. "Let's get training so they can be purified!"

"Now there's the Mark I know!" Alex exclaimed. "Beat you to the training room!"

As Alex raced off, Mark shouted, "Oh, you are on!" before racing after her. The Pokemon followed him as they went to train the Shadow Pokemon.

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

Mist rested on the lounge chair in the Cipher bath house. He was wearing his normal clothing minus the black robe, a pair of sandals on his feet, and a pair of sunglasses resting over his eyes as he relaxed. In the room were other people who were in the Cipher's higher ranks, a.k.a. Cipher's Gym Leaders.

Dart sat up in his lounge chair and gazed lazily at Mist. The blonde was wearing a short-sleeved black shirt and jean shorts. Sandals adorned his feet and a pair of sunglasses rested on his nose, just below his eyes.

"Why are you staring at me, Dart?" Mist questioned, not looking at his associate.

The blonde simply shrugged and said, "Dunno. I'm just bored, and staring at you beats drooling over Rosalean."

"Well, look somewhere else." Mist said. "I hate it when you stare."

"So?" replied Dart. "Whatcha gonna do about it, whitey?"

"Whitey?" Mist repeated. "Are you implying that to my hair color? It's natural, for your information."

"For your information," Dart spat back. "I knew that! I was just messing with you, and white hair makes you look like an old man!"

Mist sighed in frustration. Dart could be difficult to communicate with sometimes due to his occasional hyper-ness and randomness. "Shut up and quit staring."

"What if I don't wanna?" Dart growled.

"Then cool off."

"I don't like to swim," Dart grumbled. "I don't like water that much."

"Who said you had to swim to cool off?" Mist asked.

"What?"

Mist sighed and used his psychic powers to pick up Dart's iced lemonade. After levitating it above the baffled blonde's head, Mist caused it turn upside down and spill its content on Dart. The blonde looked shocked and cold.

"You could just do that instead, sword boy." Mist replied calmly, a smile on his face.

Dart glared at him, hoping to burn a hole in Mist's head. "I hate you so much! I hope those Snaggers beat the snot out of you just for my amusement!"

"You are so childish."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING CHILDISH, FREAK!!!" Dart roared, jumping to his feet and picking Mist up by the collar of his shirt. "I DON'T BELIEVE THE BOSS CHOSE YOU TO BE A GYM LEADER!!"

"Hey, calm down! Stupid yellow hothead." Rosalean growled.

Rosalean was an 18-year-old red-haired teen. She was in a green one-piece swimsuit and was resting on a lounge floatie in the pool. A Shadow Floatzel swam around her, growling at Dart for annoying its master.

"Sorry for disrupting your relaxation, Rose." Dart mumbled, reluctantly putting Mist down.

"Thank you, Rosalean, for the assistance." Mist called as he lay back down in the lounge chair.

"No problem, Mist!" Rosalean answered, stroking her Shadow Floatzel's head. "Someone has to keep that hyperactive blonde swordsman under control. Right, sweetie?"

The Shadow Floatzel nodded. It was red with purple fins on its arms and glowing red eyes. The raft tube around its body was jet black and it had claws on its paws.

"Whatever." Dart growled. "I'm taking a shower, thanks to _someone_ pouring my iced lemonade on my head!" The angry blonde turned and stalked off.

Mist sighed and picked up a magazine, flipping through it silently. "At least the terror's gone, for now."

"You know, he just battled those Snaggers with three low-level Shadow Pokemon and lost all three." Rosalean informed him. "He lost the two Nidoran on purpose but he'd planned on beating them with his Machop. But those kids used a combo on him and he lost his Machop too. He's been in a bad mood ever since he got back this afternoon."

"Even I wasn't that mad after encountering Mark and Alex." Mist remarked calmly. "He gets worked up over the smallest of things, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does. But here's what you should know." Rosalean lowered her voice. "Dart mentioned _her_ to those two. Once they find out who she really is and her relationship with you, I'll bet you'll wish that you _had_ killed those kids at Cerulean Gym."

Mist clenched his fists, tearing the magazine pages. "He did _what_?" he hissed, eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses.

"He told them about Anna, your pretty little girlfriend from before Cipher found you." Rosalean said.

"That _IDIOT_!!" Mist snarled, tearing the magazine to shreds in his rage.

"Hey, calm down, Mist!" Rosalean barked, glaring at him from behind her glasses. "Tearing Dart to itty bitty pieces won't stop them from finding out about Anna, you got that?"

Mist took a deep breath and nodded. "Your right. I won't stoop so low as to tear that ingrate Dart to pieces." Mist said. "I'll just ensure that they never find out about her."

"How?"

"By having Poindexter delete all known information about her." Mist said, getting up and walking towards the exit. "He's a hacker, so he'll get the job done. He'll make it look as though Anna never existed."

"'Kay, just be careful around that guy." Rosalean warned. "Poindexter doesn't do anything for free, so be careful in trading information. He can backstab us just as quickly as he allied himself with us."

"I know to be careful around him." Mist answered, resting a hand on the door knob leading out of the room. "And I have exactly what Poindexter wants. He'll do anything I say as long as I have it."

"You mean that chip that can erase all the data he's gathered in the past ten years?" questioned Rosalean. "You're not really thinking of blackmailing him with it, are you? You know that guy will do anything to get it back!"

"I know, but Anna is too important to allow her information to fall into the hands of those Snaggers." Mist growled. "I will see you tomorrow."

"See you later, Mist." Rosalean whispered as she watched the white-haired teen exit the bath house. "I hope you know what you're doing."

_Viridian City Pokemon Center…_

"Mark, it's midnight! Go to sleep!" Alex growled, throwing a pillow at him.

"No! Not yet, Alex!" Mark countered, catching the pillow and tossing it back at her. "I'm looking for that message from Shadow Master that Prof. Oak sent me from his call yesterday."

"Look for it in the morning!" Alex shouted. "I need my beauty sleep and I can't get it with you keeping that lamp on!"

"I'll be done in a—" Mark then fell silent. "Alex?"

"Now what?!"

"Come over here." Mark whispered.

"Why?" Alex groaned, getting up. "Did you find that dumb message yet?"

"No, but I just got another message." Mark said.

"And what?" Alex demanded.

"It's about Shadow Pokemon."

"What?!" Alex cried, looking over his shoulder to see the message. "Is it from—"

"Yes!" Mark said. "It's from the Shadow Master!"

**Next Chapter:** A Candle in the Darkness

"So the Shadow Master gave you a message. What did it say?" Prof. Oak asked from the video phone.

"Well, it talked about the Shadow Pokemon. But most of it was about that girl, Anna, and her connection to Mist." Mark replied softly.

"It looked as if the Shadow Master was trying to protect that information by sending it all at once, Prof. Oak." Alex said. "There was a message at the bottom saying to protect this information. I wonder why?"

"Mark, what's the matter?" Prof. Oak asked. "You've been quiet recently. Is something wrong?"

"Hey, don't be upset!" Alex cried. "All we have to do is find this Anna person and we have Mist beat!"

"We _can't_ find her."

"Why not, Mark?" Alex asked. "Of course we can find her!"

"No we can't." Mark growled. "We can't because…"

"Because of what, Mark?" Professor Oak asked gently. "Why can't we find her?"

Mark took a deep breath and shakily said, "We can't find her, Prof. Oak, because she's already dead."

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Ooooh! Cliffhanger! You got to see another Gym Leader and see the tattered relationship between Dart and Mist. In the next chapter, you'll find out more about Anna and, maybe, get a hint as to who the Shadow Master really is. Hope you enjoy the chapter and review soon!


	8. Chapter 8: A Candle in the Darkness

Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! I already know for a fact that this story will be over 100 chapters and will probably be in progress for a few years, possibly. I will be using different Pokemon games as Mark and Alex enter the different regions. If anyone wants to, you can create your own Cipher goon or Gym Leader, select their Shadow Pokemon, and submit them into your review. The Cipher goon in this chapter, Lax, was a request from my dear friend Mist-Sensei. Anyway, onto the story!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own Mark, Alex, my Cipher goons and Cipher Gym Leaders, and my various Shadow moves. Mist-Sensei owns Mist, Dart, and Lax.

Chapter 8: A Candle in the Darkness

Mark instantly started reading. It was a very long message, most of it about that girl Anna. While he read the message, Alex went to call Prof. Oak to tell him about the message. Midnight or not, any message from the Shadow Master was important.

The video phone showed a tired Prof. Oak on the other end. "Alex, what is it? It's midnight, can't this wait for morning?"

"No, it can't wait, Professor!" Alex said urgently. "The Shadow Master just sent a message and from the looks of it, it's very important!"

That snapped the old man awake. "Get Mark immediately! I want to speak with him."

"Ok!" Alex said, running into the other room to get Mark. "Prof. Oak wants to talk to you about that message, Mark!"

"I'm done reading it." Mark mumbled quietly. "I'm coming."

The two walked to the video phone to speak to the professor. "So the Shadow Master gave you a message. What did it say?" Prof. Oak asked from the video phone.

"Well, it talked about the Shadow Pokemon. But most of it was about that girl, Anna, and her connection to Mist." Mark replied softly.

"It looked as if the Shadow Master was trying to protect that information by sending it all at once, Prof. Oak." Alex said. "There was a message at the bottom saying to protect this information. I wonder why?"

"Mark, what's the matter?" Prof. Oak asked. "You've been quiet recently. Is something wrong?"

"Hey, don't be upset!" Alex cried. "All we have to do is find this Anna person and we have Mist beat!"

"We _can't_ find her."

"Why not, Mark?" Alex asked. "Of course we can find her!"

"No we can't." Mark growled. "We can't because…"

"Because of what, Mark?" Professor Oak asked gently. "Why can't we find her?"

Mark took a deep breath and shakily said, "We can't find her, Prof. Oak, because she's already dead."

"What?!" shrieked Alex. "Already dead?! Is that why you're so down?"

"No, it's the way she died… and the reason." Mark mumbled.

"Why did she die?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Because they needed to sever all of Mist's ties to the outside world in order for him to join Cipher." Mark explained. "They needed to eliminate all possibilities of Mist deciding to leave them. So they killed the only thing Mist loved most."

"Anna," whispered Alex. "So they killed an innocent little girl just to get to Mist."

"I guess so." Prof. Oak said. "Mark, send me a copy of that message. I have a feeling Cipher is trying to delete this information, and that's why it was sent all at once by Shadow Master."

"So you think the Shadow Master is a member of Cipher?" Alex asked.

"Maybe, but he must've secretly turn-coated sometime during the Shadow Pokemon project." Prof. Oak said. "If only we knew who he was."

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "Then he might be of even more help than he is now."

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

Mist opened the door to a pitch black room, the only source of light coming from a lone computer monitor and its light being reflected off of a pair of glasses. A gruff, but intelligent, voice echoed off the walls of the room. "Close the door!"

"So you're already hacking into something, Poindexter?" Mist asked. "Good, because I need you to hack and delete something for me."

"What is it?" the man, Poindexter, asked. "You know my rule: I do something for you, you do something for me. What're you going to do for me if I do this for you, Mist?"

Mist watched the man turn in his chair. Poindexter had short, spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a loose blue T-shirt, jeans, red tennis shoes, and black wristbands. His steel-framed glasses glittered menacingly in the glow of the computer monitor. A golden teardrop-shaped earring dangled from his right ear.

Mist held up a small green computer chip. "I won't destroy this."

"Destroy what?" Poindexter asked, turning to look at the Gym Leader. At the sight of the chip, he became nervous. "No, please don't destroy that. I still need it!"

"Why the desperation, Poindexter?" Mist questioned. "Can't you just create another one?"

"No, I can't!" Poindexter hissed. "Please give it back. That's one-of-a-kind technology and is irreplaceable!"

"Just hack into the government mainframe and delete all known information on a Ms. Anna Hikoru, and then I might give this back to you."

Poindexter growled and turned back to his computer, hacking into the government's files and deleting all known information on Anna. "Why do you want this deleted, anyhow?" Poindexter dared ask.

"Because that blabber-mouthed swordsman told the Snaggers about her." Mist growled. "I don't want them finding out about her and using it against me. I've worked too hard for too long to let it all go to waste at the hands of children!"

"Hey! Temper, temper, little buddy. I've got it covered!" Poindexter reassured. "Why would they use her against you anyway? She's dead, so how are they gonna get to you?"

Mist fell silent for a few seconds before slowly grinding out, "It would be in your best interests to continue deleting and stop talking. Or your precious computer chip will have a one-way ticket to the scrap metal heap."

Poindexter gasped and immediately went back to deleting all of Anna's files. Ten minutes later, Poindexter announced that the deletion was complete. "How do you like that, Mist?" asked Poindexter. "To the world, Anna Hikoru is no more."

"Good, but I think I'll keep this chip for a little while longer." Mist smirked. "It's very useful for getting your cooperation."

"But you promised to give it back!!" yelled Poindexter.

"I said I'll _think_ about giving it back, and I did think." Mist corrected. "I just decided not to give it back just yet."

Mist turned and left the room, grinning. Poindexter glared at the Cipher agent before smashing a fist into the desk, cursing his lack of knowledge about Mist's trickiness. He turned to the monitor and smiled. _How about I play a trick of my own, Mist? Wonder how you'll feel after I do _this

Poindexter typed a few things and pulled up a window full of information. After signing in, he quickly e-mailed it. After that was done, he leaned back in his chair and smiled like an idiot. _Take _that_, Mist! How do you like me now?_

_Viridian City Pokemon Center, Front Entrance…_

"Thanks for the service, Nurse Joy! See you later!" Alex called, waving goodbye to the red-haired nurse.

"Yes, I hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy cried, waving back. "Stay safe and have fun!"

"We will! Bye!" Mark replied before turning and walking down the road.

"Mark, what did that message say anyway?" Alex asked. "About that girl, Anna? How did she die?"

Mark sighed and continued walking. Sparks looked at Mark sadly. "Pika pi? Pika… Pika chu?"

"Sneasel sneas!" Alex's Sneasel barked. "Sneasel sneas sneas!!"

"I think Sparks and Sneasel are worried about you." Alex said. "I wonder what will happen next."

"Hey! You there!" yelled a voice. "Are you the two Snaggers that are going to beat Cipher?"

Mark and Alex looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. A fat man stepped out of the bushes, followed closely by a Snorlax and Munchlax. The fat man wore a purple T-shirt, brown pants, brown boots, and had short brown hair. His eyes were closed, hiding their true color.

"Who are you?" asked Alex. "One of Cipher's men?"

"Alex!" growled Mark. "That Snorlax and Munchlax are Shadow Pokemon!"

"What? Really?!"

Alex looked at the two Pokemon and spotted the differences. The Snorlax was black where it was supposed to be bluish-gray and its claws were bigger and sharper. Its closed eyes had a red glow around them, a trademark of all Shadow Pokemon.

The Munchlax was also black and its teeth were sharper. The eyes were glowing red and its mouth was in a sinister grin.

The fat man laughed. "Yes, I am Lax! The glutton and sleepy head of Cipher! And I have come to challenge you!"

Mark grabbed two Poke Balls. "Alright then, I'll try some other Pokemon." He mumbled. "Go! Machop and Sentret!"

The two Pokemon popped out of their Poke Balls and looked around. This was the first time Mark had sent them into battle. The fat man continued to laugh. Machop growled threateningly, cracking its knuckles loudly. Sentret stood on its tail to get a better view of its opponents.

"Okay then!" the fat man said. "Here's our strongest attack! Snorlax, use Shadow—"

"Guys, get ready to dodge!" Mark yelled. The two Pokemon tensed, ready to dodge.

"And nighty-night!" Lax said before collapsing, fast asleep. His Snorlax and Munchlax both fell over, also sleeping.

Mark just gaped at them. "What the heck?" he said. "I am so confused."

"Yeah, me too." Alex muttered. "Who would be so stupid as to fall asleep in the middle of a Pokemon battle? I say we just grab his Pokemon and go!"

"We can't, Alex. I need to beat him in battle and then catch his Pokemon." Mark grumbled, annoyed at his opponent's strategy… if you can call it that. "I have no freaking idea what they are doing."

"AHA!!" Lax cried, leaping to his feet. "And I have confused you now! You are nothing compared to the might of Lax!"

"Uh, dude," Alex said. "All you did was fall asleep… for no apparent reason!"

"Ah, but I had a reason! And that reason was to confuse you." Lax smiled, waving a finger. "And it was a success. The mighty Lax has ended your reign of terror upon Cipher!"

"Not likely, dude." Alex growled.

"Machop, use Shadow Chop!" Mark yelled. "Sentret, use Shadow Rave!"

Machop's fist started to glow black and it ran at Munchlax. Sentret placed its glowing paws on the ground and spikes erupted, heading right towards Snorlax.

Lax smirked. "Munchlax, dodge it! Snorlax, use Shadow Barrier!"

Munchlax jumped away from Machop, avoiding the punch. Machop just ran at it again and nailed a punch at Munchlax's chest, throwing it a good two yards away. Snorlax's body started glowing purple and when Sentret's spikes were about to hit it, the barrier shattered the spikes and showered Sentret in the debris. Snorlax then hauled itself to its feet and readied itself to fight.

"Sentret, use Shadow Rush! Machop, keep hitting it with Shadow Chop!" Mark yelled.

"Machop chop!" Machop cried, running at Munchlax again.

"Sentret sen!" Sentret squeaked, shaking the bits of stone out of its fur.

Munchlax raced away to avoid another punch. Machop was starting to get angry and its shadowy aura was starting to turn red. Its stats were increasing and its emotions were reaching a fever pitch. It suddenly felt stronger.

"Hey, what's up with Machop?" Alex whimpered, pointing to the Fighting-type Pokemon.

"I don't know, Alex." Mark said. "But I have a feeling something bad is about to happen."

Machop used Shadow Chop again, hitting Munchlax hard on the head. As it backed off, Machop felt pain coming from its head. It stumbled backwards as it pressed a hand against the injury.

"Hey, what happened?" Alex cried. "How did Machop get hurt? Is it a recoil?"

Lax grinned. "No, you stupid Snaggers, it's not a recoil. That Machop has entered Reverse mode and after each turn, it will hurt itself by taking a fraction of the damage from its last attack."

"Reverse mode?" Mark repeated. "Didn't Ho-Oh mention that?"

_Flashback_

"Shadow Pokemon are unusual. With their hearts closed, they've become violent battle machines." Ho-Oh said, sadness in its voice. "All of its original moves are forgotten and replaced with Shadow moves. They can't level up, evolve, learn TMs, or any learned moves. When using Shadow moves, it has a chance of entering Reverse mode, hurting itself after each turn. Only Calling it will return it to normal."

_End flashback_

"Only Calling it will return it to normal." Mark said. "But how do I—"

"Mark, look!" shrieked Alex, pointing towards the battle field.

"What?" Mark looked at the field and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Machop had managed to grab Munchlax and then proceeded to pile-drive it into the ground. The ground cracked in the after effects of the attack. Munchlax twitched a little before going still. Mark grabbed a Poke Ball and tossed it, capturing Munchlax before Machop could hurt it anymore.

As soon as Mark caught the Snag Ball, he opened it and checked Munchlax's injuries. Alex was shaking in fear at the sight of its injuries. It was bleeding a little but at least Munchlax wasn't dead, and there were no broken bones either. After returning it to its Snag Ball, Mark looked up to check on Sentret.

"Oh no, Sentret!" cried Alex.

Sentret was running away from the rampaging Snorlax. Lax was laughing his head off at the sight of a raccoon trying to outrun Snorlax. As Sentret was running, it tripped on a rock and fell. Snorlax stopped and looked down at it.

"Sentret, run away!" Mark shouted. "Run, Sentret! Run before it attacks you!"

"Hah ha! Well now, the raccoon can't run anymore. How unfortunate!" Lax sneered. "Snorlax, use Shadow Slam! Flatten that rodent to the ground!"

The Snorlax fell forward, intent on crushing Sentret. The little Scout Pokemon tried to get away but got its lower body trapped under Snorlax. Sentret started squeaking for help while desperately scratching Snorlax.

"Sentret, no! Sneasel, give that fat Pokemon a good scratching!" Alex yelled.

"Sneasel!" Sneasel screeched, running at the Pokemon. It jumped into the air and landed on its back, and then started clawing its back.

Snorlax roared in agony, attracting the attention of Machop in Reverse mode. The Fighting-type quickly ran to Sentret's aid. Even in Reverse mode, it could still tell its friends from its enemies. And right now it knew that Sentret was in danger.

Sneasel leaped away and watched in wonder as Snorlax was slowly lifted off the ground. Mark, Alex and Lax watched, shocked, as Machop managed to lift up the giant 1000 lb Pokemon with its bare hands. Machop struggled to keep it in the air while Sentret dragged itself out of harm's way. Sneasel picked it up and ran back to Mark, who returned Sentret to its Poke Ball with a gentle, "Good job!"

When Sentret was safe, Machop tossed Snorlax away. The Pokemon landed in front of, and almost on top of, Lax. Alex looked at Mark kindly. "Can I throw the Poke Ball at it?"

Mark smiled and handed her the Ultra Ball he'd planned on using on it. "Sure, Alex."

Alex giggled and threw the Poke Ball, capturing Snorlax. Handing the Snag Ball to Mark, she looked at Lax triumphantly. "Aha! We win, you lose! Looks like you haven't gotten rid of the terror that is upon Cipher!" she yelled. "Now what are you going to do?!"

Lax thought for a moment before turning around and walking towards a restaurant. "I'm gonna go eat. Have fun beating Cipher!" he said before vanishing.

Alex just stared at him weirdly. "Okay, have fun with that."

"That was the weirdest battle with a Cipher agent that I've ever had." Mark said. "And speaking of food, I'm hungry too."

"Yeah, let's eat!" Alex cried.

"Oh yeah. Machop, let's go!" Mark yelled.

Machop looked up, touched by its new owner's concern. The red aura vanished and its stats returned to normal. The Fighting-type followed its owner obediently as it had been taught by its previous owner. After a while, it was returned to its Poke Ball.

Alex and Mark headed for a restaurant to eat lunch at. As they entered, Mark noticed a candle set at the table they were at. "Alex?"

"Yeah, what?" Alex asked, flipping through the menu.

"That girl, Anna. She's like this candle at our table."

"Candle?" Alex looked up and noticed it. "We're the only one that has one. I wonder why?"

"Maybe this is the darkest part of the restaurant." Mark muttered. "Anyway, Anna is probably like this candle."

"And why is that?"

"She was the only light in the darkness that was Cipher." Mark said. "Cipher doesn't like light, metaphorically, so they had to put it out. They wanted to eliminate any source of light in Mist's life, so they put her out."

Alex looked down, frowning. "I guess you're right. Mark, are we like candles?"

"Probably. We're the only thing standing in Cipher's way." Mark muttered. "I guess we're the new candles. It's like that old saying: You take one down and two take its place."

"Yeah." Alex whispered. "Anna was taken down, and the two of us took her place."

Hiding in the darkest corner of the restaurant, near their table, the purple-haired scientist sat. He was jotting down notes in a notebook, a big smile on his face. He looked up, glancing at the two Snaggers. "Well, well," he muttered softly. "I hope they got my message. It wouldn't be any fun to play this game without opponents. I'm just happy no one has discovered my secret yet."

The man got up and left the restaurant, smirking. "I hope to see you soon, Snaggers. It will be more fun to play this game if you know who your opponents are. Good luck, you two." With that, he vanished into thin air.

**Next Chapter:** Battles Galore!!

"Great, another Cipher goon!" gasped Alex. "How many more are there? We've battled three already! At this rate, we're gonna die of exhaustion long before we die from Cipher!"

"This is our job, so you better be ready for it." Mark said, throwing out Hoothoot and Espeon. "Let's get this over with, you two!"

"Come on!" whined the orange-haired goon. "You gotta be tired after all of this!"

"Not in the slightest." Mark declared. "Hoothoot, use Shadow Sky! Espeon, use Shadow Panic!"

"Fine! But you guys' meddling ends here!" the goon yelled. "Go Kakuna!"


	9. Chapter 9: Battles Galore!

Thanks you for your support in this story, Twin2 and anonymous!! Yeah, I'm sure Alex wanted to pound Lax too, Twin2. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! (And anonymous, I will use your characters, the silver-haired boy and the pink-haired girl, in this chapter and another one later on, while Florence will appear in another chapter soon) Thanks and enjoy!

Chapter 9: Battles Galore!!

After lunch, Alex and Mark walked towards the pond southwest of town. Alex picked a few flowers along the way and ended up making a little flower crown, which she ended up putting on Sparks' head. The electric mouse didn't mind it at all.

Mark was keeping an eye out for Cipher Peons. After pulling out his PDA, he began checking through Munchlax and Snorlax's stats. He'd gone to the Pokemon Center, again, to heal Sentret and Munchlax's injuries. Mark was glad they were both okay.

He started reading through their stats. Munchlax's Attack and Speed was three stars and all other stats were one star each. It was male, 2'00", 231 lbs, Pickup ability, and was Level 14.

Snorlax's Defense was four stars, Attack was three stars, Special Attack and Special defense was two stars, and Speed was one star. It was female, 6'11", 1014 lbs, Thick Fat ability, and was Level 22. It was the highest level Shadow Pokemon he's got!

"How many more trainers are left here?" Alex asked.

"I think five more trainers, meaning there are at least five more Shadow Pokemon left to capture." Mark answered. "Hopefully we get this all done today and still have time to get to Route 2."

"Yeah, I hope so!" Alex grumbled. "I'm getting tired of staying in this stupid city day after day!"

_Please calm down, Ms. Alex,_ Espeon said gently. _I can sense these trainers have weaker Shadow Pokemon than Lax did. We should be able to get out of this city before nightfall._

Alex sighed and nodded. "Okay, I believe you. I hope we _do_ leave before nightfall."

"How come?" Mark asked, grinned mischievously. "Is little Alex afraid of the dark? Hm?"

"SHUT UP!!" Alex yelled at him. "I am NOT afraid of the dark! It's just…" Alex thought for a moment. "What will happen if Cipher decides to attack us on Route 2 if we're forced to camp there? Then what will happen, huh?"

Mark stopped to think for a moment. "You have a point there. I might have to keep some of the Pokemon out, just in case." He said.

"Yeah, well—hey! Your PDA's beeping again."

Mark pulled it out and flipped it open. It showed a map of Viridian City and a glowing red dot, signaling a Shadow Pokemon, was on the sandy beach right beside the pond. Another dot was on the patch of grass just a little ways north of the pond. The third dot was on the path leading to Route 2. A fourth dot was just down the road from where they were walking, by the flower patch just east of the Pokemon Center. And the last dot was right in front of the Viridian City Gym.

"Which one will we go for first?" Alex asked, looking over his shoulder at the four glowing dots on the screen.

"The one by the pond since we're headed there. Then we'll take out the one on the grass patch, then the flower patch, and finally the Viridian City Gym." Mark instructed. "Then we can head for Route 2 and catch any Pokemon there."

"Okay, then let's go!" Alex cried, running towards the pond.

When they got to the pond, they saw the Cipher agent. He had short black hair with bangs that covered his eyes. He wore the same black clothes that most Cipher Peons do, but he had white gloves and a red scarf tied around his neck. He looked up and noticed them. "Are you the Snaggers known as Mark and Alex?" he asked, his voice sounding horribly bored.

"Yeah, we are!" Alex said. "And now we're gonna kick your scrawny white butt and take that Shadow Pokemon!"

"How will you do that?" the Cipher goon asked in a bored tone.

"By having our Pokemon beat your Pokemon, how else?!" Alex growled.

"Look you two," the Peon said in the same bored tone. "I know you're gonna beat me, so just attack and take Cyndaquil. 'Kay?"

The Peon threw out a Cyndaquil, his Shadow Pokemon. It was black where it was blue and lavender where it was golden. The flames flickering on its back were black and purple. Its closed eyes had a reddish glow around then, just like Snorlax.

"Huh?" Mark was confused again. "You mean you don't want to fight?"

"No duh, kid." The Peon said, still sounding bored. "Cipher dragged me into this and forced me to fight. Go ahead and take Cyndaquil, just promise you'll take care of it."

"What the heck?" Alex muttered. "A Cipher Peon that doesn't want to fight? Weird!"

"But good for us nonetheless. Don't worry, we'll take care of Cyndaquil for you!" Mark said, nodding to Sparks. The Pikachu ran out onto the field, cheeks sparking lightly. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt but not too much!"

"Pika pika… Chuuuuuu!!" Sparks cried, unleashing a small amount of electricity.

The bored Cipher goon smirked. "Cyndaquil, use Shadow Fire."

"Cynda… Quil!!" Cyndaquil cried. It opened its mouth and shot out a large fireball, infused with shadows, right at Sparks.

"Sparks! Dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Mark ordered.

The Pikachu raced away from the fire attack and ran straight for Cyndaquil. It already knew what to do next, since this was a routine they've done so many times in the past. Sparks leaped into the air and its tail started to glow silver.

"Use Iron Tail!" Mark yelled.

Sparks brought its tail down on Cyndaquil. But just seconds before the attack would connect, the Cipher goon shouted an order to his Pokemon. "Cyndaquil, dodge it and use Shadow Ember!"

The Cyndaquil raced out of the way, dodging Sparks' attack. The fire mouse turned around and fired a shadowy version of Ember. The Pikachu dodged some but a few hit it, causing Sparks to get burned and gain a Burn condition. When the attack ended, Sparks was struggling to stay on its feet.

"Alright now, Cyndaquil," the Peon said. "Let's finish this with one more Shadow Fire."

Cyndaquil opened its mouth, the fireball already forming and ready to fire.

"Sparks use Thunderbolt now, while it's charging its attack!" Mark yelled.

Sparks released another Thunderbolt, hitting Cyndaquil head on. The fire mouse's attack vanished and it stumbled a little before collapsing. Mark threw a Poke Ball at it and captured the Cyndaquil. He looked up from the Snag Ball to see the Peon calmly walking away.

"That was fun but he sure had me going with the whole 'I don't like to fight! I know I'm gonna lose!' gig, but in the end you still beat him. Great job!" Alex complimented.

Mark looked at her, shocked. Complimenting was not something Alex did everyday and when it happened, you should feel honored. "Who are you and what did you do with Alex?"

"Oh, she's still here." Alex said. "She just wanted to say something nice to her friend."

"Friend?" Mark repeated.

Alex had very few friends because of her behavior as a kid (bullying kids, breaking stuff purposely, yelling, etc.) and even now, when she's changed most of that, few people ever get truly close to her. Prof. Oak and Gary are exceptions because they've always been there for her through everything.

"Yeah, that is…if you want to." Alex mumbled, looking down.

Mark smiled and patted her on the back. "Sure Alex, I'll be your friend." He said. "We'll need to learn to get along if we're gonna work together on beating Cipher."

"Okay!" Alex cried. "Let's go beat the next Cipher Peon!"

"Okay, race you there!" Mark cried, running north towards the next Cipher Peon's location. Alex quickly followed him.

As they ran, Mark checked Cyndaquil's stats. Its Attack was three stars, Speed two stars, and Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense were one star each. It was male, 1'08", 17 lbs, Blaze ability, and was Level 7.

Once they reached the grass patch, Alex pointed out the Cipher Peon. She had long, curly red hair and hazel eyes. She wore a black tank top with a silver gem on the front, purple pants, and purple wristbands. She smiled upon seeing them and said, "Well, the Snaggers came to fight me. How kind of you to find me so quickly. Let's do this, Chikorita!"

The Chikorita was dark green with reddish dots around its neck and a reddish leaf on its head. Its eyes were glowing red. Two red vines appeared from the dots around its neck and the Chikorita started growling.

"Well now, a Shadow Chikorita. I'll gladly take you on!" Mark said, sending Mightyena out to battle. "I don't have any Fire-types to use on you, so Mightyena will have to do."

_That's right._ Alex thought. _Cyndaquil is too hurt to take on Chikorita._

"For Pete's sake!" growled the Cipher Peon. "You boys are as pushy as always! Chikorita, use Shadow Rush!"

The Chikorita ran towards Mightyena and rammed into her. Mightyena stumbled but caught her balance. The Dark-type Pokemon glared at Chikorita before swatting it away with a paw. Chikorita hit the ground hard and got back up.

"See? Chikorita's got nothing on Mightyena!" Alex laughed. "Might as well give up and hand over Chikorita!"

"No thanks, bratty Snagger girl!" the Cipher Peon replied. "I'll finish this battle, whether I win or lose. Besides, every one of these battles counts towards us in the end."

"What do you mean by that?" Mark asked.

"Oh, you'll see when the time is right." The girl said, smiling. "Chikorita, use Shadow Whip and then Shadow Leaf!"

"Chiko!" Chikorita cried.

Chikorita launched its vines at Mightyena, hitting the larger Pokemon continually. Mightyena leaped away to avoid the onslaught of attacks but was unable to escape the barrage of sharp, black leaves that flew right at her. Mightyena howled in pain as the sharpened leaves cut her back, legs, and face, leaving small but bleeding cuts behind. Mightyena was growling viciously at Chikorita now. She had it with taking these attacks, now she wanted to be the one attacking instead of being attacked.

"Mightyena, use Shadow Ball and follow up with Bite!" Mark yelled.

Mightyena pounced above Chikorita, unleashing her attacks upon the defenseless Grass-type Pokemon. When Chikorita was wobbling around, Mightyena landed in front of it and snapped at it. Chikorita staggered out of the way and wrapped its vines around her muzzle, shutting her mouth.

"Ha ha! Your stupid mutt can't use that mean Shadow Ball attack anymore with her mouth closed, right?" the Cipher Peon asked, giggling. "Chikorita, use Shadow Leaf and finish that mutt off!"

Chikorita released another barrage of sharp, black leaves at Mightyena. Being at close range, the attack did double the damage it had done before. Mightyena couldn't even cry out with her muzzle tied up. Large cuts covered her body and blood ran from some of the larger cuts on her legs and back.

"Mark, do something!" cried Alex. "Hurry, before Mightyena is killed!"

"Mightyena!" Mark shouted. "Try to break out of those vines and use Shadow Ball!"

"I don't think so, honey!" laughed the Cipher Peon. "No one escapes from Chikorita's vines and your dog can't even free herself, let alone attack! I can't believe you guys were such a threat!"

"ERRRR!!! That's it!" Alex screamed. "Sneasel, freeze that little plant into a plant-icicle! Ice Beam!"

Sneasel opened its mouth and shot out a blast of ice, freezing Chikorita and destroying her Shadow Leaf attack. The vines around Mightyena's mouth loosened enough for her to get free. The dog limped back to Mark, who immediately returned her to her Poke Ball.

The Cipher Peon looked horrified at the sight of her frozen Pokemon. "Chikorita!" she cried. "You froze Chikorita!"

"We win, so get lost!" Alex yelled, kicking a chunk of ice at her. The Cipher Peon girl ran away, a hand clamped over the bleeding gash above her left eye from the ice chunk.

Mark threw a Poke Ball at Chikorita, capturing it. He looked at Alex before saying, "You didn't have to actually hurt her, Alex."

"I knew that!" Alex huffed, kicking a smaller chunk of ice into a nearby bush. "I just wanted to, that's all. She deserved it for trying to kill Mightyena."

"Okay then, it's your problem if Cipher holds a personal grudge against you." Mark said, walking off towards the Pokemon Center. He wanted his Pokemon healed before his next battle with Cipher.

As they walked, he checked Chikorita's stats. Its Attack and Speed was three stars each, Special Attack was two stars, and Special Defense and Defense was one star. It was female, 2'11", 14 lbs, Overgrow ability, and was Level 9.

Once they got there, Mark spotted the Cipher goon in the flower patch a little ways away. He had short silver hair and was wearing a black shirt and pants, a white jacket, a brown belt, and brown hiking boots. He was at least around 15 or 16 years old.

Alex pointed towards the other Cipher goon on the path leading to Route 2's entrance. He was an orange-haired 14 year old wearing a dark blue shirt and black pants. He was smirking, the sun making his hair turn into a vibrant golden-orange color.

Mark and Alex entered the Pokemon Center and got Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Mightyena healed for the upcoming battles. Once they were healed, the duo headed towards him.

"Great, another Cipher goon!" gasped Alex. "How many more are there? We've battled three already! At this rate, we're gonna die of exhaustion long before we die from Cipher!"

"This is our job, so you better be ready for it." Mark said, throwing out Hoothoot and Espeon. "Let's get this over with, you two!"

"Come on!" whined the orange-haired goon. "You gotta be tired after all of this!"

"Not in the slightest." Mark declared. "Hoothoot, use Shadow Sky! Espeon, use Shadow Panic!"

"Fine! But you guys' meddling ends here!" the goon yelled. "Go Kakuna!"

The Shadow Kakuna was light brown instead of gold with glowing red eyes. As the two attacks hit it, the Shadow Pokemon simply hardened its shell with Shadow Harden. When the attacks dispersed, Kakuna simply stood there before falling over.

Mark threw a Poke Ball at it and glared at the goon, signaling for him to get out of here. The orange-haired boy stomped off, anger evident on his face. Mark checked his Shadow Pokedex and downloaded all the brand new information into it. He hadn't forgotten his mission from Prof. Oak or the Gym Leaders.

After returning Hoothoot, Marked checked Kakuna's stats. Its Defense was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 2'00", 22 lbs, Shed Skin ability, and was Level 8.

"Well, we better finish up with that other guy and head for Viridian Gym." Alex said. "The faster we beat these guys, the quicker we can get to Route 2."

"I hear you on that one, Alex." Mark replied.

The duo headed towards the patch of grass where the goon was sitting. Upon hearing them, the silver-haired goon looked up and smirked.

"Get ready to battle, Cipher goon!" Alex growled.

The boy got up, bluish-gray eyes meeting Alex's blue ones. "Are you always so straightforward in your battles, girl?" he asked, sounding annoyed. "So you guys are the Snaggers, our worst enemy as of yet."

Alex's hands balled into fists. "Mark, can I battle him?" she asked. "I am _so_ gonna make him eat his words!"

"I guess so," Mark answered. "But if things get out of hand, I'm gonna jump in. 'Kay?"

"Okay!" Alex chirped. Then she turned to her opponent. "Get ready for a world of pain, you silver-haired bad guy!"

"Bad guy? Maybe in your eyes we are," the boy said, pulling out a Poke Ball. "But in our eyes, you are the bad guys. _You_ are wrecking our plans." A second Poke Ball appeared in his hand. "_You_ are destroying our dreams. _You_ are vanquishing our goal!"

"Yeah, yeah! Enough with the sappy story!" Alex snapped. Sneasel raced out onto the field. "Let's do this!"

"Gladly!" chuckled the boy. "And, for your information, the name's Ice. Prepare to be frosted, girly. Totodile, Mantyke, I choose you!"

The two Shadow Pokemon popped out. The Totodile was dark blue with blood red spikes on its back and tail. The yellow V-shaped mark on its chest was black instead of yellow and it had more teeth. Its eyes were glowing red.

The Mantyke was dark purple on top and light purple on bottom. The markings on its back were pure red and its eyes were glowing red.

Ice smirked and sat down in the flowers again, looking sadly at the flowers. "Guess these are gonna be frozen over too. Poor plants," he mumbled. "_She_ won't be pleased about this."

Just as Alex was about to order an attack, Espeon darted onto the field. Before she could ask, Espeon spoke and answered her. _I wish to help. Besides, two against one is not fair. Correct?_

Alex nodded. "Okay then! Sneasel, use Ice Beam to take out Mantyke. Espeon, you can handle Totodile!"

_Understood,_ Espeon replied, charging at Totodile and separating it from Mantyke.

"You think separating them will stop me? Think again!" Ice said. "Totodile, use Shadow Fang! Mantyke, use Shadow Bubble!"

"Bubbles?! You've got to be joking!" Alex laughed. "I don't think bubbles can beat Espeon!! If this is a joke, you've definitely got me laughing!"

"Who said it was a joke?" Ice asked sternly.

Mantyke blew large purple bubbles at Espeon, who merely stood there and wondered why Ice would launch such a strange attack. Bubbles couldn't hurt anyone, right? One of the bubbles landed on her side and popped… unfortunately for Espeon, these bubbles did hurt. A mini shadow explosion threw her across the field, nearly knocking her out. Alex stopped laughing and Mark stared in shock.

"Sneasel sneas!!" Sneasel cried, running towards Espeon. The Ice/Dark type Pokemon was halted by Totodile, who lunged forward and bit Sneasel's arm and drew blood. The Sneasel screamed, waving its arm around in the hopes of throwing the Shadow Pokemon off of it. Totodile didn't let go. "Sneasel sneas!!" Sneasel cried again.

Espeon struggled to her feet, shaking from the effects of the mini explosion from that bubble. _What was that? How can a bubble created so much power that it literally explodes?_ She murmured, getting up and glaring at Ice.

"Did you forget, Espeon?" Ice asked, grinning. "When these Pokemon are infused with shadows, their Shadow moves are stronger than normally attacks. In this case, a simple Bubble attack becomes a barrage of exploding mini bombs when infused with shadows."

"No way!" Alex gasped. "If that weak attack can get that strong, think of how strong the much stronger attacks could become!"

"I know, I know! This is definitely not good, Alex." Mark said. "If Bubble is that strong, how much stronger can other attacks be? Shadow Master didn't mention this."

"Shadow Master?" Ice repeated. "Who's he? The one that gives you all of our information, right? I knew we had a rat in our ranks!"

A loud crash interrupted Ice's thoughts. All three trainers looked at Sneasel, who had crashed its claws into the ground after pounding Totodile half to death. The Totodile was covered in cuts and bruises, and even had a few teeth knocked out from their fight. The Water Pokemon lay stunned on the ground and opened its jaws, releasing Sneasel's arm. It was done. It had lost the battle.

Mark grabbed at Poke Ball and tossed it, capturing the half-dead Totodile. Sneasel staggered over to Espeon and raised its claws, eager to help Espeon in her fight. Blood ran down its arm from the bite and from its feet and face.

Ice growled and returned Mantyke, not wanting to risk losing two Shadow Pokemon in one day. "See you later, Snaggers!" he growled, stalking away. "Enjoy your victory while you can, but I'll be back! Count on it!"

"Darn it!" Mark growled, returning Espeon. "We only caught one Pokemon from him."

"Why don't we go after him then?" Alex asked, returning her Sneasel. "Next time we meet, I'm clobbering him for hurting my poor Sneasel."

"We can catch him later," Mark said, running towards Viridian Gym. "If we don't get to Viridian Gym fast, we won't be able to leave until tomorrow morning!"

"What?" Alex asked, only to realize that Mark was running now. She ran after him. "Hey! Wait up, will you!!"

On the way there, Mark checked his new Pokemon's stats. Totodile's Attack was three stars, Speed and Special Attack were two stars, and Special Defense and Defense was one star each. It was male, 2'00", 20 lbs, Torrent ability, and was Level 8.

As the two kids ran, the sun was quickly setting on the city. Barely an hour was left before the stars would come out and it would be night. The sky was turning a multitude of bright colors that lit up the sky, silhouetting the two kids as the raced towards the gym. Once they reached it, a person was silhouetted against the sunset.

It was a 16 year old girl with shoulder-length pink hair and red eyes. She wore a light purple T-shirt, a purple skirt with light purple along the edge, sandals, and golden hoop earrings. Standing to her right was a red monkey with black and purple flames making up its tail. To her left stood a tiny baby Pokemon that had a black egg encasing its lower body that was covered in red and purple triangles, its skin a pale gray color. Both Pokemon had glowing red eyes.

Both kids stopped and panted for breath. "So, you're the last Cipher Peon here?" Mark gasped, resting his hands on his knees as he panted for breath.

Alex collapsed in the grass, breathing hard. "She just has to be the last one. She's gotta be!"

The girl sighed. "Of course I'm the last one here. So you guys are the Snaggers? I'm Gracie."

"Enough of the introductions!" Alex hissed, getting back up. "We're here to take those Pokemon from you."

"Alright, if you insist." Gracie replied. "Togepi, use Shadow Metronome."

"Sparks, get ready for anything! Metronome can use any attack randomly." Mark ordered. Sparks dashed forward and awaited the unknown attack to come.

Togepi started waving its tiny arms in the air and chanted, "Toge toge toge pi! Toge toge toge pi! Toge toge toge pi!" Its arms were glowing purple now. Suddenly, a blast of fire shot out from its hands.

"That's Fire Blast!" Alex cried.

Mark jumped to his feet and yelled, "Sparks, dodge it and use Quick Attack!"

The Pikachu ran away from the attack and then sped towards the baby Pokemon, cheeks sparking violently. Togepi's Metronome unleashed a Hydro Pump, hitting the Pikachu and smashing him into the wall of Viridian Gym. The Pikachu hit the ground and struggled to its paws.

"Sparks!" yelled Mark. "Use Thunderbolt but not too much! You don't want to knock it out!"

Sparks got up and charged the attack. Then it shot a small Thunderbolt at Togepi, shocking the little Pokemon. Togepi fell and started to cry. Alex ran forward and grabbed Togepi just in time, since Gracie was just about to return it.

"You hurt Togepi!" Gracie yelled. "You ought to be ashamed of hurting a baby Pokemon!"

Mark pulled out a Poke Ball and captured Togepi, only to let it out again so that Alex could calm it down. Gracie huffed angrily and ran away, taking her Shadow Chimchar with her. Mark didn't bother going after them.

Sparks hopped onto Mark's shoulder and shivered. Alex gestured for them to get going and Mark led the way. They would go to the Pokemon Center first to heal their Pokemon and then they would head to Route 2. Mark had the feeling they would be camping tonight. Hopefully Cipher wouldn't attack tonight.

After healing all of their Pokemon, the duo headed for the northern exit that would lead to Route 2. Mark and Alex walked along a path and went through a hole in the fence. Once they reached a patch of grass, the sun was long gone and the stars were just appearing.

"We should stop here, Mark." Alex suggested, yawning. "It's not like Cipher is gonna attack us in our sleep, right?"

"Maybe, but I'm leaving some Pokemon out. Just in case," Mark said, releasing Mightyena, Umbreon, Espeon, and Salamence. "You guys are gonna guard the camp for us. If anyone suspicious turns up, wake us up."

The Pokemon agreed. Mark and Alex made a small fire and rolled out their sleeping bags. While Mark thought about the recent battles in Viridian City, Alex talked about how great it was to be camping outside like plenty of trainers do. After cooking some chicken for dinner over the fire, Mark looked through his PDA and checked Togepi's stats.

Its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed were three stars while its Defense and Special Defense were two stars. It was female, 1'00", 3 lbs, Serene Grace ability, and was Level 2, the lowest level Shadow Pokemon he has so far.

"Hey, Mark?" Alex asked. "Can I raise Togepi? I mean, come on, if we're gonna save the world, I should get to help raise the Pokemon. So can I, please?"

Mark sighed. Alex truly loved baby Pokemon and he hadn't doubted for a second that Alex would want to raise Togepi, even if it was a Shadow Pokemon. "Well, I guess so. But be careful with her, 'kay?"

"Okay!" Alex cried, hugging the baby Shadow Pokemon. "You hear that, Togepi? I'm your momma now!"

"Alex, calm down." Mark sighed, pulling the chicken off the fire and shoving her plate towards her. "Eat up. We got a long journey ahead of us now that we're on the road again."

Alex smiled and gave Togepi some Poke Chow. "I know, Mark." She said. "So, are we going to Viridian Forest next?"

"Yeah, we are." Mark answered. "I wonder what that guy, Ice, meant by _she_."

"Maybe one of the Gym Leaders that Cipher commands."

"Maybe, but which Gym will she be at?" Mark tapped his fork on his chin. "And how soon until we have to beat her?"

_Mark, we already know that Dart leads Pewter City Gym and Mist heads Cerulean City. The others are all a mystery._ Espeon said, curling up beside Mark. _And we still don't know who the Shadow Master is or if Mist is affected by Anna's death._

"Yeah," Mark agreed. "The next time we see him, I'm gonna ask about Anna. Who knows, maybe Mist may help us in the end."

"Yeah but the end is a long ways off Mark." Alex reminded him. "We're only just starting in Kanto. But we still need to get to Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh."

"I guess you're right." Mark mumbled. "We're barely even a hundredth of the way there yet. We've still got a long way to go before we can take down Cipher."

"Well, I'm tired." Alex yawned, stretching her arms above her head while Togepi sat in her lap. "I'm gonna go to bed. Are you going to put Togepi in her Poke Ball?"

"Sure, might as well." Mark said, returning Togepi and placing her Poke Ball in his backpack. "I'm gonna go to bed too. Night guys!"

"Night Mark. Night guys." Alex mumbled, slipping into her sleeping bag and falling asleep. Mark soon fell asleep too, unaware that a certain white-haired Cipher Gym Leader was quietly watching them in the cool darkness of night.

**Next Chapter:** Tale of a Lost Eevee

"That Eevee's a Shadow Pokemon, Mark!" Alex hissed, pointing to the gray and white Eevee that dashed circles around the seven year old boy.

"I know but that kid is no Cipher Peon, that's for sure." Mark muttered, walking toward the boy. "Hey kid, where did you find that Eevee?"

The little boy looked up and smiled. "I found her in the forest. She was starving so I took her in. I'm not supposed to have a Pokemon but she had nowhere to go. When I picked her up, this mean guy in a black trench coat chased me."

_A Cipher Peon!!_ Mark thought. "Hey, you mind if I look at her?"

"Okay," the boy said. "But you got to promise not to touch her back paw. She got hurt and can't walk right."

"Okay, I promise." Mark said, reaching out to take the Eevee.

Suddenly a man with a long black trench coat appeared and grabbed Eevee by the scruff. "I'm sorry, Snagger, but this Shadow Pokemon belongs to me!"

"Eevee!!" the boy cried.

"Put her down now!!" screamed Alex, watching as the man shook Eevee around by the scruff.

The man paused and said, "I think not."

Mark tore a Poke Ball out of his bag and blocked the Cipher goon's escape. "Not this time! I'm gonna beat you here and now!"

The man frowned, but then smirked viciously. "Just try me, little boy."

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Yeah, I know it's a much longer preview than usual but I wanted to get the idea written before I forgot it. This idea was floating around in my head since Chapter 2. Glad you all like my story so far. Florence will pop up soon, anonymous, just be patient. So far, this story is 53 pages long with a word count of 24,577. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and review!


	10. Chapter 10: Tale of a Lost Eevee

Hey, thanks for reviewing again, guys! The first big snowstorms have come in today and, out of boredom, I decided to update this earlier than I planned. Anonymous, your character Florence will appear in this chapter. Thanks for being so patient with me. Hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Chapter 10: Tale of a Lost Eevee

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

Mist slipped into his bedroom through the window. It was the middle of the night and Mist had just returned from spying on the two Snaggers, Mark and Alex. They had mentioned Anna, his former friend who had mysteriously died years ago. That meant they must've somehow gotten her records, but only Poindexter and he knew their location. Plus Poindexter deleted it. How could they have gotten it?

He decided that he needed a shower. Walking down the hallway, he spotted a fellow Gym Leader sitting in the library. She had long, wavy sea green hair and dark green eyes. She wore a dark green dress with light green sleeves and skirt edge. Leaf-shaped earring glittered from her ears.

Curled up beside her chair was an abnormally large Sceptile. It had a dark green body with a leafy black tail, red orbs running down its back in two rows of three, red lower jaw and stripe on its stomach, and glowing red eyes. The leaf blades on its arms were longer and sharper, ending in a deadly point that cut you even if you barely brushed your finger against it. Two fangs poked out of its mouth, making it look even more sinister.

The 22 year old woman looked up at Mist and smiled. "Well, what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I was about to ask the same thing of you, Florence." Mist replied.

The woman, Florence, giggled behind her book. "Well now, aren't we Mr. Grumpy today? You're worse than Dart when his favorite toy is taken away."

"Do not compare me with that insolent fool!" Mist snapped, falling silent since he spoke a little too loud. When he was certain no one had woken up, he continued. "It seems you've been given the duty of controlling Erika's Gym. How is it so far?"

"Everything's good, according to plan." Florence replied. "Sceptile and I are doing a great job so far. No one has come to stop us!"

"No one has stopped you… yet." Mist corrected. "The Snaggers are almost to Pewter City. It will be a while but they'll reach you eventually."

"What do you mean, Mist? Once Dart beats them, they'll run home with their tails between their legs and never bother us again." Florence declared. "It's a piece of cake. These guys are no threat!"

"Florence, you silly fool!" he hissed. "Do not underestimate these two. So far, they have beaten Dart in a pre-battle and their determination even drove me away. I'm warning you, you underestimation of everything will be your defeat."

"Don't call me a fool, jerk!" growled Florence. "And you two weren't even trying!"

"Don't be so sure about that, Florence." Mist growled, turning on his heel and exiting the room. "Those two are much stronger than you think they are."

"Oh, shut up and get a life!" Florence snapped, chucking a book at Mist's head. Mist used his psychic powers and caught the book, setting it on a nearby table.

When he left her range of vision, Florence rested her head in her hands. "Man, who'd have thought he was such a rough guy for a 14 year old. He acts more like a 19 year old." She grumbled, shaking her head. "Too bad about Anna though. She's dead and he doesn't even know who killed her or why."

Mist continued to walk down the hallway, mumbling under his breath how stupid Florence could be. She acted more like a 6 year old than a 22 year old. Even he was more mature than her. How she became a Gym Leader, he'll never know.

_Route 2…_

Mark woke up and rolled over as the sun shone in his face. Sitting up, he blinked and rubbed his eyes, yawning. He looked at Alex's sleeping bag and saw that she was still sleeping. Smiling sleepily, he got up and returned his Pokemon to their Poke Balls. After pulling on his jacket and bandanna, he decided to wake Alex up.

"Hey, wake up." Mark mumbled, shaking her shoulder. When she didn't wake up, he said, "Hey! It's time for sleeping beauty to wake up!"

Alex mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, hitting Mark in the face with her arm. Her eyes snapped open instantly and she glared at him. "What are you doing? I have the best sleep of my life!"

"It's time to rise and shine, Alex." Mark said. "I'd like to reach Pewter City before dark if at all possible."

"Okay, MOM!" Alex huffed, crawling out of her sleeping bag and rolling it up. Mark followed her example. "Anything happen last night while I was asleep?" she asked.

"How should I know?" Mark said. "I was asleep too."

After packing up, the two Snaggers headed around the second fence and stopped in front of the lookout station. It was a large building leading in Viridian Forest, their next destination. The two walked inside, entering the forest.

Once they entered the forest, Mark's PDA went off. Pulling it out, Mark saw five dots blinking on the screen. There were five Shadow Pokemon in here, and that meant five Cipher goons.

Alex ran up to talk to a guy with blonde hair that was leaning against a tree close to the entrance to the southern half of Route 2. When she returned, Alex said, "That man says we have to be careful in this forest. The trees are so thick that little light gets in, and it's full of Bug and Flying-type Pokemon. It's a natural maze and many people get lost in it. We should keep and eyes out for rocks and berry trees."

"Got it, Alex," Mark said. "Thanks for the info."

"No problem, Mark!"

As the two walked east, Mark spoke. "Did you know that a campfire is held on every non-rainy night here in Viridian Forest? Whether it's cloudy or clear, people living here in the forest sleep outside to watch the stars."

"Wow!" Alex gasped. "If we end up staying the night here, can we watch the stars outside?"

"Sure." Mark replied. "Nothing's stopping us."

They soon spotted a man wearing dark green clothing sitting in a thick patch of grass on the edge of the path before it turned north. When he saw them, the man walked over to them. "Well, well. You wouldn't happen to be the Snaggers, would you?"

"Oh man!" Alex whined. "A Cipher goon already?!"

"So you work for Cipher, correct?" Mark asked. Sparks' cheeks started to spark angrily.

"Correct," the Cipher goon replied, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Seems you're not a dumb as Dart said you two were. Let's start, shall we?"

"Gladly," Mark said. "Sparks, get ready!"

"Pika pika!!" Sparks cried, leaping to the ground to face its opponent.

"An Electric-type?" the man questioned. "Good choice, kiddo."

_What Pokemon is he going to use?_ Mark thought, readying for an attack.

"Go Starly!" the man yelled, throwing the Poke Ball. As second one joined it. "You too, Spearow!"

The two bird Pokemon popped out. Starly had a black head, wingtips, and tail, dark gray body, and a light gray face and chest. Its eyes were glowing red and tiny claws tipped its little feet.

Spearow, on the other hand, had a black body, red face and tail, and blood red wings tipped with pale purple. Its eyes were glowing red and claws poked out of its feet. Its beak was sharpened to a point.

"Oh, great. Two low levels." Mark mumbled. "Sparks, get back here! Rattata, Pidgey, it's your guys' turn to battle!" The red Rattata and Pidgey got ready for battle.

"It doesn't matter how hard you try, in the end you'll always lose!" cackled the goon. "Starly, use Shadow Whirlwind! Spearow, use Shadow Fury!"

"Rattata, use Shadow Fang! Pidgey, use Shadow Gust!" Mark yelled.

Starly and Pidgey's attacks crashed into one another, blowing both Pokemon backward. Spearow pecked at Rattata at a vicious speed, forcing Rattata on the defensive. When Spearow pulled back, Rattata saw its chance and leaped forward, biting a wing. Spearow let out a loud squawk, crashing to the ground with Rattata's teeth imbedded in its wing.

"Starly, help out Spearow!" the goon yelled. "Use Shadow—"

"No you don't!" Mark growled. "Pidgey, use Shadow Gust to blow them away!"

Pidgey flapped its wing quickly, throwing Starly back at the goon before it could attack. Spearow buried its beak into the ground to anchor itself against the wind. When the attack ended, Spearow and Starly were both to weak to finish the battle.

Mark tossed two Poke Balls and captured them both. After returning his own two Pokemon, the goon raced away. "That was too easy."

"Yeah, I know." Alex agreed. "I guess Cipher's wasting all the lowest level Pokemon on us first before they send out the big guys."

"Probably," Mark muttered. "Come on. We got to keep going if we want to reach Pewter City."

As the two walked around a clump of trees as they headed north, Mark checked the two newest Pokemon's stats. Starly's Attack and Speed was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was female, 1'00", 4 lbs, Keen Eye ability, and was Level 5.

Spearow's Attack was three stars, Defense was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 1'00", 4 lbs, Keen Eye ability, and was Level 8. Both were the same except for species, gender, and levels.

As they continued walking, Alex pointed out a small boy running through the tall grass. He was around 7 years old and wore a pair of blue jean overalls, red shirt, and brown shoes. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. A small Eevee chased him around, giggling with the small boy.

But that wasn't what caught Alex's eye. It was the fact that the Eevee was dark gray instead of brown and had glowing red eyes. "That Eevee's a Shadow Pokemon, Mark!" Alex hissed, pointing to the gray and white Eevee that dashed circles around the seven year old boy.

"I know but that kid is no Cipher Peon, that's for sure." Mark muttered, walking toward the boy. "Hey kid, where did you find that Eevee?"

The little boy looked up and smiled. "I found her in the forest. She was starving so I took her in. I'm not supposed to have a Pokemon but she had nowhere to go. When I picked her up, this mean guy in a black trench coat chased me."

_A Cipher Peon!!_ Mark thought. "Hey, you mind if I look at her?"

"Okay," the boy said. "But you got to promise not to touch her back paw. She got hurt and can't walk right."

"Okay, I promise." Mark said, reaching out to take the Eevee.

Suddenly a man with a long black trench coat appeared and grabbed Eevee by the scruff. "I'm sorry, Snagger, but this Shadow Pokemon belongs to me!"

"Eevee!!" the boy cried.

"Put her down now!!" screamed Alex, watching as the man shook Eevee around by the scruff.

The man paused and said, "I think not."

Mark tore a Poke Ball out of his bag and blocked the Cipher goon's escape. "Not this time! I'm gonna beat you here and now!"

The man frowned, but then smirked viciously. "Just try me, little boy."

"Oh, don't worry. I will!" Mark said, throwing out a Poke Ball. "Umbreon, get ready!"

Umbreon popped out and dashed onto the field, eyes narrowed at the man. Its ears flattened against its head and it started growling loudly.

"Well now, it seems you came back to see me, Umbreon?" the man asked, smiling cruelly. He threw out a Poke Ball, releasing an Ekans.

The Ekans was dark purple with a red belly, stripe around neck, and tail. It had glowing red eyes and started to hiss aggressively at Mark and Alex.

"Mark, do you think he's like that girl who trained Espeon?" Alex asked.

"Maybe," Mark hissed, remembering that girl.

_Flashback_

"Are you really from Cipher?" Mark asked, noticing his Espeon bristling again.

"Well, yeah," the Cipher Peon replied. "I'm the one that trained that Espeon there. She was _supposed_ to be loyal, but she decided to team up with the two annoying little Snaggers. I'll take out that pest once and for all."

_End flashback_

"Are you the one that trained Umbreon?" Alex growled.

The man smirked. "Why, yes I am. Unlike Espeon, Umbreon was a little more defiant than she was. I needed to use brute force and more brutal training to get him to obey me. But after three years of training before he became a Shadow Pokemon, he still resisted me. But that is a good trait in him now."

Mark grit his teeth in anger. He could already imagine the pain Umbreon was forced to go through before he became a Shadow Pokemon. "Umbreon, use Shadow Wave!"

Umbreon growled viciously and gigantic waves of darkness erupted from his body. The waves smashed into the man and his Pokemon, sending both crashing into the ground. Eevee got away and limped back to the boy, who picked her up and glared at the man.

"You little brat! Ekans, use Shadow Sting!" the goon yelled.

Ekans slithered upright and hissed at Umbreon. It opened its mouth and small dark purple needle-like energy shot at the black dog Pokemon. Umbreon raced away and rammed into it, sending Ekans crashing into its trainer and making them both fall over.

Mark threw a Poke Ball and caught Ekans. Alex walked over to the little boy and Eevee, protecting him in case the Cipher goon tried anything. The man simply got up and limped away, vanishing into the trees.

Mark checked Ekans' stats. Its Attack was three stars, Speed was two stars, and its other stats were one star. It was male, 6'07", 15 lbs, Intimidate ability, and was Level 12.

Mark turned to the little boy. "Is Eevee okay?"

"Yeah, she is." The boy said. "Thanks for helping her. Oh, my name is Nik."

"Yeah, well… Nik, we need you to, uh…" Alex struggled to find the right words to explain Eevee's condition. "We need you to give us Eevee, uh, please?"

"Why?" the boy asked. "Are you guys going to hurt her like that man hurt your Umbreon?"

"No, Nik," Mark answered. "It's just that…"

_Your Eevee is very special but something is wrong with it._ Espeon said gently. _That man is part of an organization that does bad things to Pokemon. Your Eevee is one of them, as are most of Mark's Pokemon. He has set out to help these Pokemon get better._

"So those men did something bad to Eevee?" Nik asked. "Can you help her?"

"Yeah, I can but I'll need to take her from you." Mark said. "But I won't take her by force. If you want to keep her, it's okay."

"Mark, what are you doing?" Alex hissed. "We set out to catch all of these Shadow Pokemon, and we can't catch them all if you let him keep Eevee!"

"I know but look at them, Alex." Mark whispered. "It would be horrible if we just took her from him. At least give the poor kid a choice. If he wants to keep her, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Well, if Eevee trusts you then I trust you with her." Nik said, setting Eevee on the ground. "Well Eevee, you want to go with him?"

Eevee looked at Mark for a while before dashing towards him and yipping happily. Alex smiled and picked her up, cuddling the little fox Pokemon. "Does this mean she trusts us?" Alex asked as Eevee liked her face.

"Yeah, it does." Nik giggled. "But if you guys take her, you got to promise to take good care of her. Okay?"

"Okay, but how about I make you a promise too?" Mark suggested. "Once this is all over, us catching these Pokemon and beating that organization, I'll bring Eevee back to you. That a deal?"

Nik looked stunned. "But if you catch her, won't she be your Pokemon?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she can't visit the kid that rescued her." Alex said.

"So how do you like that, Nik?" Mark asked. "After this is over, I'll visit with Eevee and when you become ten, I'll let you have Eevee back. By then, she will be your Pokemon."

"Okay!" Nik cried. "Just take good care of her for me, okay?"

"Got it, Nik!" Alex said.

Mark pulled out a Poke Ball and tapped Eevee with it. The ball opened and Eevee vanished inside it. After saying good-bye to Nik, the two trainers walked down the path to deal with the next Cipher Peon.

Sitting in a nearby tree, Mist quietly watched them. Now he was convinced that they had gotten Anna's files and read them, even if Mist himself had never read them. But the white-haired Gym Leader had a strange feeling that these guys knew something he didn't. "Well, whatever it is, I'll know soon enough." Mist chuckled, teleporting back to base.

**Next Chapter:** The Woodland Maze and the Stone Gray City

As the two emerged from the forest, Alex stretched and said, "Man, am I glad to be back in the open again!"

"Calm down, Alex!" Mark chuckled, stretching his arms over his head. "I know you're happy to be out of the forest but don't overdo it."

"Get over it, Mark!" Alex said, looking forward. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

Mark looked forward and saw the last person he wanted to meet tonight. "I control the gym here, if you haven't forgotten." Dart replied, eyes narrowed at the two. "Meet me at the Pewter City Gym tomorrow afternoon after you've dealt with the goons wandering the city. And don't forget our new rules."

Mark just glared at the blonde as he walked away. "Oh, don't worry. We haven't forgotten the rules, _Dart_!" he hissed angrily.

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Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. As you might have guessed, Mist has no idea that Cipher killed Anna and a hint that Florence knows a little about the incident. While writing this chapter I was listening to 'Lies' by Evanescence. Hope you guys all enjoy the story and please review!


	11. Chapter 11: The Woods and the City

Hey everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews, especially you Mist-Sensei. I'm glad you guys like the story so far, I'm truly happy to gain your support and constructive criticism. It helps to make my story so much better! Now onto the story!!

Chapter 11: The Woodland Maze and the Stone Gray City

Mark and Alex continued to head north through Viridian Forest. After they had gotten Eevee from Nik, the little boy had given them a Poke Ball and a Potion. As they kept walking, Alex pointed out the next Cipher goon standing near the western bend in the path. Mark grabbed Raichu's Poke Ball, not wanting to waste Sparks' energy.

The Cipher goon was a tall man with spiky light brown hair and cold brown eyes. He wore an orange vest over a black T-shirt, tan pants, and brown hiking boots. He was tossing a Poke Ball into the air in a bored fashion. Mark told himself not to fall for that act. It worked once in Viridian City, it won't work again.

"Raichu, get ready." Mark growled, throwing the Poke Ball. Raichu popped out and started growling at the goon.

The goon glanced at them and dropped the Poke Ball. It opened up to reveal a Ledyba. It had a purple shell and glowing red eyes. The Bug-type Pokemon opened its mouth and screeched, daring the electric mouse to get any closer.

"Ledyba, use Shadow Wind!" the goon growled.

Ledyba flew into the air and started beating its wings quickly, creating a fierce wind laced with a shadowy aura. Raichu sank its tail into the ground and curled up, saving itself from any damage. After a Shadow Spark attack, Mark captured the Ledyba and headed left while the goon ran the opposite direction.

Mark and Alex headed north again. Espeon dashed forward, leaving her owners behind for a moment before she returned. Alex smiled. "Looks like Espeon found an Antidote for us, Mark!"

"You keep it, Alex." Mark replied, dropping his bag on the ground. "I've got enough stuff to carry as it is."

"Okay, if you say so." Alex said, putting the Antidote in her backpack.

They turned left and walked through a large patch of long grass. Alex had to fight a few wild Pokemon and even caught a Metapod for her team. After passing the grass, they went around a bend and started heading north again. After crossing a second patch of grass, Mark spotted the next Cipher goon.

She was a young girl, around 13, and had short red hair and green eyes. She wore a white tank top with a jagged 'C' on it, black and red checkered shorts, black tennis shoes, and a chain necklace with a bird pendant on it. She was playing with her Poke Ball until she noticed the two and straightened up.

"Do you work for Cipher, kid?" Mark asked, looking at her Poke Ball.

"Yeah, I do!" the girl chirped. "I'm guessing you're the Snaggers. I can't wait to see how you battle against me! Go, Igglybuff! Cleffa!"

The two baby Pokemon popped out. Igglybuff was a pale purple color with glowing red eyes. Cleffa was pale red with black ears and glowing red eyes.

"Great, more babies!" Mark said sarcastically, throwing a Poke Ball. "Caterpie, Weedle, I think you two can handle this one."

The two Bug-type Pokemon nodded and turned towards their opponents. The two baby Pokemon looked at the bugs curiously, having never seen any Bug-types before. Alex was squealing with joy at the sight of the two babies (since Mark had assigned Alex with taking care of most of the babies, which she happily agreed to).

"Igglybuff, use Shadow Pound!" the girl cried. "Cleffa, use Shadow Sing!"

Igglybuff jumped into the air and started hitting Weedle, who curled up in a ball to avoid most of the attacks. Cleffa started to sing and Caterpie was wobbling, nearly asleep.

"Weedle, use Shadow Sting! Caterpie, use Shadow Shot!" Mark ordered.

Weedle managed to crawl away from Igglybuff and leaped forward, trying to hit Igglybuff with its stinger. The baby Pokemon cried out in alarm and bounced away, trying to dodge the sharp stinger that was aimed at it.

Caterpie shook its head and shot a string of purple thread from its mouth, tying Cleffa up and covering its mouth to silence the sleep-inducing song. The baby Pokemon wiggled a bit to try and escape, but that made Caterpie only tighten the thread slightly.

Mark pulled out two Poke Balls and tossed them at the two babies, capturing them. After he returned his Pokemon, he turned to the little girl. She sighed sadly before dropping something on the ground and walking away. Alex picked up the item and handed it to Mark.

"What is it?" Mark asked, looking the item over. "Some kind of disk?"

"Maybe there's a message on there from Shadow Master?" Alex suggested.

"It could be, but wouldn't that mean Cipher found him if a Cipher goon gave it to us?" Mark argued. "Unless that girl is working with him."

The little girl smiled as she walked away. _That disk will show you exactly what you're in for now, Snaggers. I just hope the Shadow Master was right in putting _that_ information on it. Good luck, Snaggers… you'll need it now._

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

"Dart!" Rosalean called, walking through the halls with her Floatzel partner. "Dart, where are you? The Snaggers are nearing your gym and the boss says you've got to go!"

"That idiot is probably in his room, sleeping the day away." Mist suggested, arms stretched over his head. "If he won't go, then maybe I will get to have my rematch a little earlier." He said a little louder.

Dart's bedroom door burst open and Dart tore out of his room, skidding to a stop in front of the two Cipher Gym Leaders. "I'm up already!" he groaned. Then he turned to Mist and snarled, "And you are NOT taking my place in battling them, whitey!"

"Okay, we get the point." Rosalean said, waving her hands. "Snaggers are almost at Pewter, so you better get ready. You know the boss, he'll have your head if you lose to those kids."

"I know, I know!" Dart exclaimed. "I'll win this fight, no matter what! Hey whitey, don't get to comfy with your idea of a rematch 'cause I'll beat them first!"

Mist sighed. "I highly doubt that, Dart." He said coldly. "You'll need all the luck you can get just to dodge a simple Spark attack."

"What did you say?!"

"Boys, calm down!" Rosalean scolded. "God, I feel like the only mature one here!"

"Yeah, Florence acts like a two-year-old and whitey acts like a one-year-old." Dart said, smirking.

"You're the one-year-old, Dart." Mist countered.

"THAT'S IT!!! You want to take this outside or what, magic boy?!" Dart spat.

"Come on, we need to get you ready to go!" Rosalean hissed, grabbing Dart and dragging him down the hall.

Mist just stood there. "Magic boy? Since when has he gone and made fun of my powers?" he muttered. Mist walked down the hall after his two companions. "Oh well. Guess he got tired of whitey."

_Viridian Forest…_

After passing through two more big patches of tall grass, and defeating the final Cipher goon there and catching their Happiny, they were finally on the edge of Viridian Forest. Mark looked back to see Alex playing with the little Happiny. It was pale purple with purple cheeks and lower body, glowing red eyes, and carried a dark gray egg. The gray stripe around its middle separated the pale purple from the purple.

Mark sighed, checking the stats on his three new baby Pokemon. Happiny's Attack was two stars while its other stats were one each. It was female, 2'00", 53 lbs, Natural Cure ability, and was Level 7.

Cleffa's Attack was two stars while its other stats were one star each. It was female, 1'00", 6 lbs, Magic Guard ability, and was Level 6.

Igglybuff's Attack was two stars while its other stats were one star each. It was female, 1'00", 2 lbs, Cute Charm ability, and was Level 5.

As they walked through the building the lead back to Route 2, Mark had the oddest feeling that he was being watched. Then sun was setting, bathing the sky a rainbow of different colors. As the two emerged from the forest, Alex stretched and said, "Man, am I glad to be back in the open again!"

"Calm down, Alex!" Mark chuckled, stretching his arms over his head. "I know you're happy to be out of the forest but don't overdo it."

"Get over it, Mark!" Alex said, looking forward. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

Mark looked forward and saw the last person he wanted to meet tonight. "I control the gym here, if you haven't forgotten." Dart replied, eyes narrowed at the two. "Meet me at the Pewter City Gym tomorrow afternoon after you've dealt with the goons wandering the city. And don't forget our new rules."

Mark just glared at the blonde as he walked away. "Oh, don't worry. We haven't forgotten the rules, _Dart_!" he hissed angrily.

"I almost forgot about him." Alex growled. "I almost forgot that Cipher took over the Gyms and the Pokemon Leagues."

"I know," Mark replied, hands balled into fists as he watched Dart vanishing through the trees that lead to Pewter City. "We have to beat him so Brock can get his gym back."

_Maybe we should head to the Pokemon Center first, Mark,_ Espeon suggested, nodding towards the building. _We all need some rest for tomorrow._

"Espeon's got a point. We can think about Dart tomorrow when we've got to face him." Alex said, walking towards the Pokemon Center. "We get to sleep in beds tonight too!"

"What happened to 'I love sleeping outside like all Pokemon trainers'?" Mark asked, following her.

"I told her to stay in the forest." Alex replied, smirking. "I like the forest and all, but I keep waking up to weird noises and stuff. I'd rather choose a bed over the forest any day while Cipher's around."

Mark paused before saying, "You have a point there. But don't get too comfortable in a bed because sooner or later, we're going to end up sleeping outside for days straight sooner or later."

"Well, until then, I choose to sleep in a bed." Alex declared, walking through the doors of the Pokemon Center.

Mark walked up to the front desk and requested that his Pokemon be healed. While he waited, Alex pointed out a familiar face speaking with Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, I'm so glad to see you again! May I ask if you've seen a beautiful young girl and an older boy roaming around here?"

"Why, yes I have." Nurse Joy answered. "They're sitting right there. I'm healing their Pokemon right now."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" the man cried, hearts in his eyes. "I'll be right back!"

"Mark, is that who I think it is?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, yes." Mark replied, pulling his bandanna over his eyes.

"Boy, am I glad I found you guys!" said the man. "I've been here since yesterday, waiting for you guys to show up. Professor Oak said you guys would be here soon to challenge the Cipher guy that took my gym."

"Brock, what do you want?" Mark asked. "Not to sound rude, but I thought you were all staying at Oak's place until we freed your gyms."

"Yeah, that was the plan." Brock explained, sitting down beside him. "But Sabrina suggested that we help you guys beat Cipher, mainly the people who took our gyms. If we can beat them, Cipher doesn't have that much control over us anymore."

"So that means the Gym Leaders are fighting with us now?" Alex asked, smiling. "That's awesome! We have more help now, Mark!"

"I know, but there's one thing I need to know." Mark said, looking at Brock. "Does Prof. Oak have any plans for the Shadow Pokemon inhabiting those gyms? Am I taking them or are you guys going to take them and find out a purification process?"

"Prof. Oak told us to let you take them." Brock replied, frowning. "Oak wanted to know something, too. He wants to know if you've gotten any new messages from the Shadow Master."

"We might have," Alex answered. "This girl in Viridian Forest dropped a disk and we still have to check it out. Once we find out what it says, we'll tell Prof. Oak."

"Okay." Brock said and looked at the counter. "I think your Pokemon are healed now. I'll get them."

"Thanks!" Mark said as Brock got up. Then he said, "He's gonna talk to Nurse Joy before giving my Pokemon back, isn't he?"

Alex sighed and nodded. "Yep, he will."

"How about we head up to our rooms?" Mark suggested. "We just need to get the key card and room number from Nurse Joy."

"Okay, I'll get it!" Alex said, standing up. "I'll get your Pokemon back too."

"Thanks." Mark replied, watching the blue-haired girl walk to the counter. He stared at the disk the girl had dropped in Viridian City. "Wonder if this is a message from Shadow Master?"

Mark's PDA started beeping again. After pulling it out, he checked the map of Pewter City to see how many Shadow Pokemon there were. Four Shadow Pokemon were scattered throughout the city while three resided within the Pewter City Gym, where Dart was located. _Dart has three more with him?_ Mark thought. _Wonder if they're as strong as Mist's Lapras was. I wasn't even able to check its level!_

"Hey, Mark!" Alex called, snapping the green-haired boy back to reality. "I've got your Pokemon, our room number and key card. Brock's staying with us, too!"

"Great." He groaned, plucking his Poke Balls from her arms and replacing them onto his belt. "Let's get going then. Where is Brock anyway?"

Alex pointed to the front desk, where Brock was still flirting with Nurse Joy. "Over there. I told him to meet us in the room, since he has a key card too. Let's go!"

The two walked upstairs and down the hallway until they reached their assigned room. It had two bunk beds, a desk and a bathroom. Alex kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the top bunk of one of the beds. "I declare this as my bed for however long we stay here!" she cried before flopping onto her back. Her Sneasel jumped up and curled up in one corner of the bed, already asleep.

Mark collapsed on the bed below hers, kicking off his own shoes and wriggling out of his jacket. After untying his bandanna, he started petting Sparks' back. The Pikachu let out a noise similar to a purr and rubbed his head against Mark's hand.

An hour later, Brock entered the room and sat on the bed. He gave Mark a stern look and said, "Mark, thanks for helping me get my gym back. It means a lot to me."

"I know, Brock." Mark said. "But don't thank me yet. We still got to beat Dart in order to save your gym. And I should be thanking you for deciding to help me."

"Do you know what kind of Pokemon he's using?" Brock asked.

"The last time I battled him, he used Poison-types and a Fighting-type Pokemon." Mark replied. "My PDA says he's got a Rock-type and two Fighting-types."

"I can take care of the Rock-type," Brock volunteered. "But it's those Fighting-types I'm worried about. They could really do some heavy damage to my Pokemon if given the chance."

"Then we won't give them that chance!" Mark exclaimed. "Espeon can take them out!"

"One Psychic-type against two Fighting-types?" Brock asked, puzzled. "Sure, a Psychic Pokemon can take down a Fighting Pokemon but can she take out two? I think you're pulling a big risk by pitting her against them all alone, Mark."

"She won't be alone." Mark countered. "Umbreon will be with her."

"If you say so, Mark. But I hope you're right about us being able to beat this Dart guy." Brock added. "We really need to loosen Cipher's ties on us or we'll all fall… maybe even you and Alex, too."

"No." Mark growled. "We won't fall. We've got to beat them, for Anna."

"Anna? That little girl that Prof. Oak mentioned?" Brock asked. "Is it true that Cipher killed her just so they could gain control of a potential Gym Leader?"

"Yeah, it's true." Mark said sadly. "She was in the way of Cipher's plans, just like Alex and I are right now. She was Mist's friend, too."

"Mist's the guy that took over Misty's gym, right?"

"Right."

Brock sighed. "I'm going to sleep now. We'll need all of our strength to beat Dart and those other goons tomorrow."

Mark yawned and climbed into bed, turning the lights off. "Yeah, me too. Night, Brock."

"Night, Mark."

Mark closed his eyes and drifted off. The window creaked open silently and a familiar figure slipped into the room. It was Mist. The white-haired Gym Leader quietly picked up the disk the girl had dropped in Viridian Forest. Placing it in the computer, he waited silently for it to play.

The screen turned on to reveal the inside of a laboratory. Many large tubes covered the walls of the room, but the screen was fixed on one in particular. The largest tube in the middle of the room was filled with pinkish-red liquid, and floating in it was Shadow Mew. Many wires came from its body and its eyes were closed, signaling that it was asleep or unconscious.

Mist watched in fascination as a man in a lab coat bustled past, unaware that someone was filming this. An unfamiliar voice said, _"This is Shadow Mew. It is just the start of a special Shadow Pokemon project called 'Project: Shadow Legendaries'. Cipher plans on capturing the legendaries and turning them into Shadow Pokemon. Only the head scientists and the boss know of this project, so don't go asking the Gym Leaders about is because they'll know nothing of it."_

Mist smirked. "Oh, really? I know now."

"_It took a long time to infuse the shadow into Mew but ended up working. The boss is still deciding on who will take it but whoever takes it will have to have a strong will, mind and heart in order to control this Shadow Psychic Pokemon. It is almost three times as powerful as a normal Mew."_

Mist started to grit his teeth in anger. Why had _he_ not have been informed of this? Why hadn't _any_ of the Gym Leaders? Did the boss think of them as too weak to handle the powers of a Shadow Legendary? If they thought that, then they were highly mistaken.

"_The boss came up with this new project not long after the elimination of a Ms. Anna Hikoru in order to gain the trust of Agent 69, a.k.a. Mist."_

That part caused Mist to ignore everything else. Elimination? No, that had to be a mistake. Anna died in a car accident and her body had never been found. Cipher had delivered the news to him themselves. It was her death that made him take this job in the first place. _That man… he's got to be wrong. Anna wasn't eliminated, she died. Died in a car accident! What reason would Cipher have to lie to me?!_

Mist shook his head and removed the disk from the computer. He then leaped out the window and ran away from Pewter City. As he reached Route 3, he nearly ran into Dart. "Hey, watch it!" Dart snapped, only to realize exactly who he was talking to. "What are _you_ doing here, psychic freak?"

"Just… following master's orders." Mist said. It was a lie, but Dart would never know. "I'm keeping tabs on the Snaggers. It turns out the Shadow Master left them another message but I couldn't figure out who he was. The Gym Leaders, the original ones, are planning on fighting us as well so be on the lookout for Brock."

"I know that already! I saw that skirt-chasing Rock-type trainer snooping around my gym yesterday." Dart growled. "And what's with you? You look like something spooked you… Not that I care!"

"Glad to know that you don't care." Mist said sarcastically. "And, actually, I'm not scared. I just discovered some startling news on the Shadow Master's disk."

"And that is…?"

Mist sighed. "Master been keeping a rather large secret from us. Turns out the legendaries are involved more than we originally thought."

"What?!" Dart hissed. "You're kidding. Why didn't he tell us?"

"I don't know, sword boy." Mist replied. "What do I look like, a dictionary?"

Dart growled lowly before grinding out, "How many so far?"

"Only Mew at the moment, but more will come soon." Mist said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get home and take a shower."

"Whatever." Dart grumbled, watching Mist teleport away. The blonde turned and stalked back to the stone building that was his gym. "Tomorrow will be the last time those Snaggers try to beat Cipher. After tonight, there won't be anything left standing in our way."

**Next Chapter:** Mark vs. Dart: The Battle for Pewter City!

"Do you really think you can get this gym back?" Dart taunted, tossing one Poke Ball. "Do you think you can stop all of Cipher?" He tossed a second Poke Ball. "Sure, two others did but that doesn't mean you will." He tossed a third Poke Ball. "Either way, I'll win and you'll lose."

Brock placed a hand on Mark's shoulder. "We better be careful here. If you have any Water-types on you, it's best if you use them now."

"I know, Brock." Mark replied. "We'll win this no matter what. Just leave the Fighting-types to me and you take the Rock-type. Alex, you jump in when you see an opening."

"Go that, Mark!" Alex cried. "For a second, I thought you'd say I wasn't allowed to fight this battle."

"I'll let you but just be careful, okay?" Mark said. "We need to win this battle. I promised we would."

"Don't count on keeping that promise, Snagger!" Dart snarled. "You're going to lose, here and now!"

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Well, I hope you all liked this chapter! If anyone wants to make up any goons or a Gym Leader for Cipher, put a description of them and their possible Shadow Pokemon in your review. I already have a timeline thought out for some of this story but if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I'll gladly listen to them. If anyone wants to suggest a certain Pokemon to pop up soon, leave it in your review and I'll find where to have them pop up. Thanks for all of the reviews everyone and keep reading!


	12. Chapter 12: Mark vs Dart

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Samsonthekoopa, your character will pop up again some time after this chapter. Glad you guys like story so far! I'm thinking of maybe dividing this story into four separate stories, one for each region, or I just might make this a gigantic story with all the regions. What do you guys think?

Anyway, without further ado, onto the story! Merry Christmas to everyone out there too!!

Chapter 12: Mark vs. Dart: The Battle for Pewter City!

Mark woke up and yawned. This was his first day in Pewter before he had to battle Dart. Rolling over, he was surprised to see Brock before realizing what occurred last night. _That's right,_ Mark thought, a sleepy smile crossing his face. _The Gym Leaders are helping us now. Dart won't stand a chance against Brock and me… and maybe Alex._

Sitting up and grabbing his jacket, the boy walked over to the desk and reached for the disk, only to not feel it where he left it. Mark looked down and saw that the disk was now on the keyboard instead of in the drawer. "How did that get there?" Mark muttered, picking it up. "I could've sworn I left it in the drawer, not on the keyboard."

Alex sat up from bed and yawned. "What's the matter, Mark?" Alex asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, nothing!" Mark said, popping the disk into the computer. After going past the part that Mist ended at, Mark turned to Alex and said, "Call Prof. Oak on the video phone. We've got a big problem."

"Huh?" Alex asked, hopping down from the bed. "Should I wake up Brock too?"

"Yeah," Mark replied. "But just call Prof. Oak. He needs to know this stuff."

_5 minutes later…_

"A Shadow Mew?!" Prof. Oak asked, nearly choking on his coffee. The other Gym Leaders were present and listening to the conversation. "If Cipher get their hands on the Legendaries, it'll be nearly impossible to defeat them!"

"We know, Professor, so calm down!" Alex said. "We're gonna fix this, right Mark?"

"Right!" Mark agreed. "Plus, Cipher hasn't even found a strong enough trainer for it yet. Hopefully, they never will."

"Oh, they will all right." Lt. Surge growled. "Cipher will find a way, just like they always do."

"Calm down, Surge." Sabrina said calmly. "I'm sure finding a trainer that strong will delay them for some time, so you probably won't see Shadow Mew for a long while."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Surge grumbled. "But I still hope you guys can beat them. I don't know how _two kids_ can do something that the entire Pokemon League couldn't do."

"Well, I'm sure fate has a reason for this." Erika replied, smiling. "I know Cipher will go down soon."

"Hey, Prof. Oak, should I send the info on the disk to you or what?" Mark asked.

"Uh, yes! Send it here but record it in that black Pokedex of Gary's, too." Prof. Oak said. "Gary might find out who this Shadow Master is."

"He's probably one of the scientists, seeing as he said that only high-ranking members of Cipher were allowed in that room." Blaine muttered. "That or he just managed to sneak in somehow."

"Or he could be using a robot to film that." Koga argued. "He could have just recorded his voice into the machine and then sent it into the labs to create that disk to send to us."

"There's just too many ways he could've done this without being caught or suspected by Cipher." Misty added. "We might not find out who he is until Cipher's defeated."

"Well, Mark," Prof. Oak said, turning to the screen. "You keep an eye out for that Mew and any more Cipher workers. When you reach another city with a Gym, head the Pokemon Center and—"

"You'll find one of us, depending on the city you're in." Surge butted in.

"Got it, guys!" Mark replied. "We're going to beat Dart today so count on me keeping that promise!"

"You better, kid!" Blaine said. "We're counting on you."

"Be careful, guys!" Misty cried as the screen went blank. "I hope they'll be okay."

"They'll be alright. We just have to have faith in them, Misty." Erika said.

"Yeah," Misty replied, looking at the blank screen. "Faith,"

_Pewter City…_

The trio exited the Pokemon Center so they could do some battling. There were four Cipher goons in the city and Dart was in the gym, patiently awaiting their arrival. Suddenly, a sixth dot appeared on the PDA, located at the gym with Dart.

"Guess we've gotta fight five people before we take down Dart?" Alex asked, cuddling the Shadow Togepi in her arms. She had grown close to the baby Shadow Pokemon and cared for it immensely, spending most of her free time caring for it. "We'll beat the crud out of him!"

"Yeah, and I'll get my gym back too!" Brock added, walking beside Alex.

"We'll head for the goon in the fenced flower patch, then the guy by Route 3's entrance, then the by the Poke Mart, and then the guy on the path by Pewter City Gym. After they're taken care of, we'll finish the last goon off and fight Dart." Mark said.

"Sure!" Alex cried. "Works for me!"

"Maybe we should split up, Mark." Brock suggested. "It'll make things go faster that way so we can get to the gym."

"If you say so, Brock." Mark replied. "But be careful. These goons can be tricky so don't fall for their tricks."

"Got it!" Brock said. "I'll take the goon standing by my gym."

"And I'll take the flower patch guy!" Alex chirped.

"I'll take care of the guys by Route 3 and the Poke Mart." Mark finished. "Then we can all take on the last goon and Dart."

"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Alex said happily. "Let's get going then."

Mark turned to Brock and said, "Brock, if you have trouble with catching the Shadow Pokemon, just bring them to the gym and I'll catch them myself."

"Okay." Brock agreed before heading towards his gym.

"Okay!" Alex giggled, running towards the fenced-in flower patch. "See you at the gym!"

"Yeah, see you there!" Mark called, heading for Route 3's entrance.

_With Brock…_

Brock ran towards his gym, looking around for the Cipher goon. It didn't take long to find him. The goon was a tall guy with shoulder-length black hair and cold blue eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt, black jeans, a long black trench coat, and black boots with dark blue laces.

"I'm guessing you're with Cipher, right?" Brock asked, pulling out a Poke Ball. "I'm Brock, owner of the gym here."

"Don't you mean former owner?" the guy asked, also pulling a Poke Ball out from his pocket. "Dart owns the gym now and you guys won't be getting it back… Ever."

"I guess you really don't know who you are up against, kid." Brock replied, throwing the Poke Ball. "Go, Crobat!"

"Crobat!" the four-winged bat Pokemon shrieked.

"A Crobat, eh?" the goon grumbled. "Frick, I'm at a disadvantage here! Oh well, go get them, Budew!"

The little Grass-type Pokemon looked like a white ball instead of yellow, and it had dark green vines wrapped around its body and over its head with light green on the ends. It had a black bib-like thing under its face and glowing red eyes.

"Crobat, use Supersonic!" Brock ordered.

The purple bat opened its mouth and released ultrasonic waves, sending them crashing into the small Grass Pokemon. Budew tried to get up but collapsed again. Brock tossed the Snag Ball at the Shadow Pokemon, successfully catching it.

The Cipher goon shrugged indifferently and said, "You beat me, but it's not a big deal. I'm nothing compared to Dart. Don't plan on winning." The boy turned and stalked away.

Brock sighed and returned his Crobat. As he sat in the grass, he glanced at his gym and hoped that Mark and Alex would get there soon. But he was unaware of a familiar blonde swordsman silently watching him, eyes filled with hate.

_With Alex…_

Alex reached her destination and jumped over the fence, her Sneasel following her every step of the way. She looked up and met a pair of familiar red eyes. "You're the girl from Viridian!" Alex said.

"The one and only!" the pink-haired Cipher goon, Gracie, giggled. Her Shadow Chimchar stood by her side, its red eyes narrowed viciously at Sneasel. "So you guys are here to beat Dart, as I hear."

"Well, you heard right!" Alex answered. "All I have to do is beat you and get to the gym so we can kick that guy's butt!"

Gracie smiled. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?" she asked. "But someone like you shouldn't be fighting Cipher. Someone like you would do the _smart thing_ and help us out."

"Yeah right!" Alex growled, her Sneasel raising its claws threateningly. "Why the heck would I help you?! You guys are willing to do anything to get your way, even if it means killing an innocent little girl!"

"Huh?" Gracie asked, cocking her head to the side slightly. "You mean the Hikoru girl? Boss just did that for leverage."

"Leverage?!"

"Yeah," Gracie said, crossing her arms. "Mist is a nephew of a famous Pokemon Master who died six years ago. Boss wanted someone who could command a gym and who better than someone who knew the inner working of the Pokemon League."

"That still doesn't explain why you guys killed her." Alex snapped.

"Mist would only join Cipher if Anna joined." She replied, smirking. "But the girl wouldn't join. She'd heard of us and wanted no part of it. So boss had someone eliminate her. With her no longer in the way, boss could manipulate Mist into joining our ranks."

"Man, you guys are really bugging me now." Alex hissed.

"Thank you!" Gracie replied. "Chimchar, use Shadow Ember!"

"Sneasel, use Shadow Claw!"

The Chimchar opened its mouth and unleashed the shadowy fire attack. Sneasel's claws turned black and the Ice/Dark-type jumped around, trying to dodge most of the attacks. After the attack ended, Sneasel slashed Chimchar with its claws and threw it a few feet backwards.

"Well, that was a nice attack." Gracie replied, smiling. "You really have a talent in the dodging department, girl, but that won't save you forever."

"I know that, idiot!" Alex growled. "I'm just waiting for you to tire out and then I'll set up a nice combo to beat your Pokemon."

"Yeah right!" Gracie laughed. "Chimchar, use Shadow Fire and then Shadow Rush!"

"Sneasel, use Ice Beam and try to freeze it!" Alex commanded, keeping her eyes on the monkey Pokemon.

Chimchar shot a blast of black fire at Sneasel, who dropped to the ground to avoid the attack. Alex raced away to avoid the attack too. After getting up, Sneasel fired a blast of ice at the Fire-type. Chimchar ran away and sent more fire hurling at Sneasel. Sneasel dodged the first three but was nailed in the back with the fourth and the legs with the fifth. Sneasel crashed to the ground, fur singed and skin burnt.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Gracie laughed. "I knew I would win! Your puny Ice-type Pokemon was no match for my wonderful Fire-type! If you lost to me then there's no way you'll win at the gym! If you can't even protect your Pokemon from a simple fire attack, you'll never make it for long in this world, kiddo!"

Alex kneeled by her injured Sneasel, hand hovering just inches above its burnt body. "Sneasel…" she whispered. After taking out its Poke Ball, she returned it and threw out her Poliwhirl. "Poliwhirl, let's get rid of these guys!"

"Poli whirl!" Poliwhirl answered, raising its fists.

"Another weak Pokemon? How pathetic can you get?" Gracie taunted. "So what if you have an advantage. If your Ice-type couldn't win then your Water-type must be just as weak!"

"Not exactly! Just watch and learn!" Alex cried. "Poliwhirl, use Whirlpool!"

"Whirlpool?!" Gracie gasped. "There's no way it's high enough of level to…"

"Yep," Alex smirked. "I told you once and I'll tell you again. I'll beat you and then I'll go kick Dart's butt."

Poliwhirl created a large whirlpool and sent it charging at the Chimchar. After catching it in the watery tornado, Poliwhirl made it spin faster and faster. After hearing a loud shriek, the whirlpool vanished. After throwing a Poke Ball and catching the unconscious Chimchar, she watched merrily as the trainer ran away.

She looked down at Sneasel's Poke Ball. "Man, I guess you still can't beat Fire-types yet. That's understandable though, right Sneasel?" she muttered, putting Chimchar's Poke Ball away. "I'll head for the Pokemon Center and then go for the gym. I wonder if Mark's done yet."

Alex turned and jumped over the fence again, running towards the Pokemon Center. After having Sneasel and Chimchar healed, she walked to the gym and sat with Brock. Both patiently awaited Mark while Dart paced inside the gym, anxiously waiting for the gym battle he would be having in a bit with the Snaggers and, unfortunately, Brock.

_With Mark…_

Mark walked away from Route 3's entrance. Beating the Cipher Peon located there had been too easy and snagging the Shadow Pokemon, a Pichu, had been even easier. He looked at its stats as he walked towards the Poke Mart.

Its Attack and Special Attack was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was female, 1'00", 4 lbs, Static ability, and was Level 5.

As he neared the Poke Mart, he encountered someone he'd hoped to never battle again. "What are you doing here?!!" Mark yelped in surprise.

A very familiar fat man with short brown hair and closed eyes stood nearby, arms crossed and a smile on his face. "AHA!!" he shouted. "The almighty Lax has found you once again! This time you will not escape me!"

"Why the heck did you come back anyway?!" Mark demanded, angry that he had to deal with Lax all over again. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Because Cipher has ordered me to destroy you, that is why!" Lax replied, pointing a finger at Mark. "I will follow you to the ends of the Earth in order to eliminate you!"

"…" Mark blinked in confusion. "Are you some kind of stalker or something?"

Lax jumped backward and raised his arms, waving them desperately. "What?! How can you say that _I_ am a _stalker_?" he shrieked. "I am not a stalker! I am merely an agent bent on stopping you from foiling our plans!"

Mark shook his head. "You seem like a stalker to me."

"Ooooh!" Lax growled, pulling a Poke Ball from his belt. "I will make you pay for dishonoring the name of Lax, the greatest Cipher agent ever. Charmander, teach that brat a lesson he'll never forget!"

The Charmander was red with a black fire on the tip of its tail. It had a grayish-white belly, sharper claws and teeth, and glowing red eyes. "Charmander, use Shadow Fire!" Lax ordered.

"Fine but you asked for it." Mark replied. Sparks leaped off of his shoulder and charged towards the Charmander. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt!"

_5 minutes later…_

Mark walked away from the Poke Mart, looking at the stats of his new Charmander. Its Attack was three stars, Speed was two stars, and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 2'00", 18 lbs, Blaze ability, and was Level 8. The lizard Pokemon had put up a good fight but had lost in the end, just like all the others.

_Except that Lapras!_ Mark thought, remembering Mist's supposedly high-level Lapras. _I never even found out how strong it was. Must've been really strong if Mist decided not to have it fight us. I'll find out once we reach Cerulean City._

As soon as he got to Pewter Gym, he saw that he was the last one there. Both Brock and Alex got up and handed them the Snag Balls used to catch the other two Shadow Pokemon. "We caught them for you, Mark." Alex said, smiling. "But we better go to the Pokemon Center first before taking on Dart."

"Yeah, Alex is right." Brock agreed.

"Okay. Let's get them healed and then we'll finish off the last goon and Dart." Mark said, twirling around and walking to the Pokemon Center.

While they waited for their Pokemon to be healed, Mark checked the two Shadow Pokemon's stats. Budew's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed were two stars while its other stats were one star each. It was male, 0'08", 2 lbs, Natural Cure ability, and was Level 3.

Chimchar's Attack was three stars, Speed and Defense were two stars, and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 1'08", 13 lbs, Blaze ability, and was Level 5.

After grabbing their Pokemon, the trio headed for the gym and walked through the doors of the rock building. Once inside, Alex looked around the gym. The gym floor was littered with rocks sticking from the ground, and a balcony located partway up the walls of the gym allowed spectators to see the gym better.

And sitting on the other side of the gym was a man around 28 with short brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a light blue shirt under a dark blue jacket, black pants, and black shoes. Beside him was a dark brown Cubone carrying a jagged black bone. Its glowing red eyes seemed to brighten even more against the black skull it wore on its head.

Standing nearby was Dart, leaning against one of the rocks on the gym floor. The blonde silently watch the trio, fingers brushing against his three Poke Balls in preparation for battle. "Samson, only use your Cubone this time." Dart ordered.

"Sure, that's all I'll need to use." Samson replied coldly. His Cubone darted out onto the field, waving its bone threatening at the trainers. "Cubone, don't use up too much energy in attacks this time."

Cubone looked back at its owner and nodded. "Cubone bone!" it cried.

"This time?" muttered Alex. "Does that mean other trainers have tried to fight them?"

"Oh, yes." Dart replied, smirking. "Nearly every trainer in Pewter City tried to fight me in order to save this gym, but so many of them never even got past Samson. Very few even got the chance to battle me and none even beat me. This city is so pathetic it makes me sick to say I control this gym."

"Hey, watch it!" Alex growled. "You won't have to feel so sick about it once we beat you and take this gym back."

"And how will you do that, little Snagger girl?" Samson asked, crossing his arms. "It doesn't matter if I'm outnumbered. You will never get past me."

"We'll see about that!" Alex replied. "Poliwhirl, let's show this guy what we're made of! Whirlpool!"

Mark threw out a Poke Ball. "Totodile, get in there and help out! Shadow Fang!"

Poliwhirl sent a large whirlpool crashing into the Ground-type while Totodile jumped in and snapped at it, trying to get a good bite on Cubone. Cubone cried out in pain and its trainer growled in frustration. "Cubone, use Shadow Dig to escape!"

Cubone managed to get both feet back onto the ground and dug as fast as possible. When the two attacks faded, all that was left was a big hole and a dust cloud. Poliwhirl and Totodile looked at one another in confusion. Samson smirked.

"Hey, where did it go?" Alex asked.

"Cubone went underground, Alex." Brock explained. "It has an advantage in this arena because Rock and Ground-types are normally used here. Cubone will be able to set up attacks and pop out just about anywhere to attack."

"Brock, you know this gym best." Mark said. "Can't you just figure out where it'll pop up?"

"I may know the gym but that doesn't mean I know where it'll pop up."

"Oh, okay." Mark replied. "Totodile, blast some water into that hole! Maybe flooding its tunnels will make it come out."

"Toto toto dile!" Totodile cried, running to the hole and shot water into it. After about a minute of shooting water into the underground tunnels, they heard a loud cry from the Ground-type.

"CUBONE BONE!!!"

"Cubone!" Samson yelled.

A second hole appeared behind Totodile and water flooded out of it. Cubone dragged itself out of the water and gasped for breath, grabbing Totodile's tail in the process. Totodile glared at Cubone and bit it, causing the Cubone to start hitting it on the head with its bone club. After about a minute of this, Cubone curled up in a ball, tired and beaten.

"I guess Cubone wasn't as strong as you said it was, Samson." Brock replied. "Now it's time to take back my gym."

Mark tossed a Poke Ball and caught Cubone, checking its stats too. Its Attack was three stars, Special Attack and Speed were two stars, and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 1'04", 14 lbs, Rock Head ability, and was Level 8.

"Do you really think you can get this gym back?" Dart taunted, tossing one Poke Ball. "Do you think you can stop all of Cipher?" He tossed a second Poke Ball. "Sure, two others did but that doesn't mean you will." He tossed a third Poke Ball. "Either way, I'll win and you'll lose."

Brock placed a hand on Mark's shoulder. "We better be careful here. If you have any Water-types on you, it's best if you use them now."

"I know, Brock." Mark replied. "We'll win this no matter what. Just leave the Fighting-types to me and you take the Rock-type. Alex, you jump in when you see an opening."

"Go that, Mark!" Alex cried. "For a second, I thought you'd say I wasn't allowed to fight this battle."

"I'll let you but just be careful, okay?" Mark said. "We need to win this battle. I promised we would."

"Don't count on keeping that promise, Snagger!" Dart snarled. "You're going to lose, here and now!"

"You're the one who's going to lose!" Alex growled. "We're taking this gym back! We'll take all of the gyms back and beat you guys! Then you'll never be able to hurt anyone again!"

"Just try and stop me!" Dart challenged.

_On the unknown island…_

Rosalean peeked up from the book she was reading to see Mist walking in, his head down and fists clenched. "What's wrong, Mist?" she asked, putting her book down.

Mist didn't look at her. "…I need to see Poindexter."

"Why?" she asked, standing up from her lounge chair and walking over to him. "Is something the matter, Mist? You seem awfully down."

Mist finally looked up at her. "Rosalean, would you tell me the truth if I asked you something?"

"Huh?" Rosalean replied, tilting her head. "Of course I would, Mist."

"I need to know how…" Mist gulped. "I need to know how Anna died."

Rosalean blinked. "Well, she died in a car acci—"

"That's not what Shadow Master said!" Mist snapped. "He said that Cipher eliminated her!"

"Wha? When did you hear that? You met the Shadow Master? Who is he?"

"I intercepted a disk given to the Snaggers. He mentioned it on there, as well as more info on Shadow Mew." Mist explained. "Rosalean, how did Anna die? How did she _really_ die?"

"Well, she…" Rosalean started.

"Hey, Mist! Stop harassing poor Rosalean!" a voice interrupted.

Mist glared at the door. "What do you want, _Blazer_?!" he hissed.

A 20 year old man with a yellow streak running through spiky red hair stood in the doorway. He wore a red T-shirt, ripped jeans, red-striped sneakers, and sunglasses. The sunglasses slipped down his nose to reveal a pair of brown eyes that were narrowed at the white-haired Gym Leader.

"Hey, Blazer!" Rosalean said, smiling kindly at the older Gym Leader. "I'm guessing you took over Cinnabar Gym?"

_Cinnabar?!_ Mist thought. _How the heck did Blazer get control of that gym?_

"Yep, it was a success." Blazer replied, pushing his sunglasses over his eyes again. "Blaine fought real tough but I still won in the end, though."

"I'm surprised someone like _you_ managed to get on the boss' good side and win yourself a Cipher Gym Leader title." Mist snarled, fingernails digging into palms.

"Hey, I may have gotten bad grades in school but just 'cause I failed doesn't mean I'm an idiot." Blazer replied, smirking. "At least I didn't use my freaking psychic powers to beat everybody and catch boss' eye." He said sarcastically.

"At least I didn't cheat!" Mist snapped, turning and stomping out the door.

Rosalean and Blazer silently watched him leave before the Fire-type trainer turned to Rosalean. "Man, was that close or what? He nearly had you there!"

Rosalean nodded, hanging her head. "I know, but sometimes I feel that keeping this secret is wrong. Even if we have him on our side, it's inevitable to keep this secret for much longer. He'll find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, but hopefully 'later' is when he's an old geezer." Blazer replied. "I got to get training with Blaziken. That guy's been itching for a fight ever since we got back."

"Okay, good luck!" Rosalean called, waving. "And thanks!"

"No problem, Rose, no problem!" Blazer called, jogging down the hall and vanishing from sight.

Rosalean smiled and returned to her room. After seating herself back into the lounge chair she picked up her book and tried to read. After a minute, she dropped the book into her lap and started to pet her Floatzel. "Why me, Floatzel? Why me?" she whispered, staring at the ceiling.

Her Floatzel cuddled against her hand, hoping to comfort its saddened trainer. A single tear ran down Rosalean's cheek. _Why do I feel so guilty?_ She though sadly. _…Why?_

**Next Chapter:** Heart of Stone

Mist entered the dark room for the second time. Poindexter still remained in his seat, typing away at the eerily glowing computer. He was hacking something again but Mist couldn't care less. "Poindexter." He growled.

The brunette twirled around in his chair and saw Mist hold up the computer chip. "What do you want?" he growled. "I already deleted those files!"

"Oh really?" Mist chuckled. "Then how did they get into those Snaggers' hands? Oh, just forget it! I need you to do something for me."

"Now what?"

"I know you were the one who gave them those files, which means you still have a copy of Anna's records somewhere." Mist said. "I need you to check through those records and find out exactly how she died."

"But I can't." Poindexter squeaked. "Boss ordered that you have no access to that!"

Poindexter found himself hauled out of his chair and smashed against his computer, cracking the monitor slightly. Mist held him up by the collar of his shirt and hissed, "I. Don't. Care."

Poindexter simply stared in horror as Mist grabbed a Poke Ball… _that_ Poke Ball.

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Hey there, guys! I hope you all like it so far! Blazer popped up and I had the official Gym Leaders make an appearance too! I guess Rosalean feels guilty about Anna's death. And I wonder what Mist has in that Poke Ball that scares Poindexter so much! Any ideas of what is inside of it? Hope you all like it so far! See you next time! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Ho ho ho!


	13. Chapter 13: Heart of Stone

Hi again! I'm glad you guys like my story so far! Thanks for the reminder, Twin2, I still need to get the purifying thing in there still. I'm still thinking over whether to keep it as one gigantic story or divide it by regions. Oh well, I'll figure that out later! Happy 2008, everyone!! Onto the story! (I've heard that Brock's Onix turns into a Steelix, but I'll keep it as an Onix in this story, just so you know. If anyone knows anything about that, can you please tell me?)

Chapter 13: Heart of Stone

Dart smirked as he threw out two Poke Balls. An Onix and a Tyrogue appeared, looking ready for a fight. The Onix was black in color with glowing red eyes, and Tyrogue was dark purple with glowing red eyes. "I'll see how you are against these two before I throw out my third." Dart said.

"Fine by us." Mark replied, releasing Espeon and Umbreon. "This battle will go by quickly."

"The faster we beat you, the faster I can get my gym back." Brock added, throwing his own Onix in.

"Yeah, and then we can get going again!" Alex cheered. Her Sneasel raced out and stood alongside the other three Pokemon.

"Awww! Four against two isn't very fair…" Dart complained sarcastically. Then he pulled out a third Poke Ball. "So I'll just throw out my third and see how you like that. Go, Machamp!"

Machamp appeared from its Poke Ball and stood up, cracking all four of its knuckles. It was black in color with a gray mouth and head spikes. Its glowing red eyes narrowed angrily as it caught sight of Espeon and Umbreon. "Ma… CHAMP!!" it cried.

Espeon whimpered and took a step backward. _Umbreon, be careful. I can sense that this Pokemon is way stronger than we are._

Umbreon nodded an affirmative. The black dog Pokemon tensed, waiting for the opponents to make their move. And make their move they did!

"Onix, use Shadow Sandstorm!" Dart yelled.

Onix started spinning, sand whirling in the air in a funnel shape. After a few seconds, Shadow Onix had vanished into a giant sand tornado. The sand whipped around the arena, striking trainers and Pokemon.

"What the heck?!" Alex yelped. "Brock, do something!" But when she looked at it again, an idea formed. "What a sec… I got it! Sneasel, use Ice Beam!" she cried. "Freeze that Onix inside of its own attack!"

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel barked, shooting a blast of ice at the raging sand tornado. The ice entirely froze the sandstorm, trapping Onix inside. Sneasel jumped around, cheering, "Sneasel sneas! Sneasel sneas! Sneeeaaasel sneas!!"

"Alright, we got rid of one!" Alex cheered.

"Don't be so sure, Alex." Brock countered. "Rock-types are weak against Water-types, but Ice-types…" He looked at the column of ice that encased Shadow Onix. "Ice-types are a whole other story."

"Wait a sec!" Alex squeaked. "You mean—"

"Yeah!" Mark said. "I don't think that guy's out yet!"

Suddenly the ice started turning black. After the whole ice column turned black, a pair of glowing red eyes peered from the icy prison. A loud crack was heard and cracks appeared along the ice's surface. Then the ice shattered, releasing its prisoner.

"No way!!" Alex cried. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Sorry, Alex, but I'm not kidding." Brock replied. "Rock-types are capable of defeating Ice-types, especially since this one's a Shadow Pokemon."

"That's not good." Mark muttered. He turned to Alex and shouted, "Alex, pull Sneasel out now! Bring out Poliwhirl!"

"Okay, okay!" she grumbled, returning her shocked Sneasel and throwing out Poliwhirl. "I just hope this will make a difference with this guy."

"It won't, so don't bother trying!" Dart yelled. "You've already seen the immense power of my Onix, so think about how strong my Machamp is!"

"What about your Tyrogue?" Alex yelled back. "Isn't it any stronger?"

Dart fell silent and then shrugged. "Nope! I just took it because boss ordered me to take a weak Pokemon."

"Huh?" Mark stared at Dart in shock. "If he let you have two powerful Pokemon, why'd he make you take a weak one?"

"I don't know? He just did, that's all!" Dart snapped. "I don't really care if you catch Tyrogue because my other two Pokemon will make you three bite the dust!"

"Hey! Less talk, more fight!" Alex growled. "We want to get this done before next year!"

"Hey, you shut up, Snagger brat!" Dart spat. "Machamp, use Shadow Toss! Tyrogue, use Shadow Tackle!"

Machamp raced towards Espeon and Umbreon, two arms held down to grab and two arms ready to throw. Espeon looked at Umbreon and nodded, confirming their strategy. As the big Fighting-type reached down to grab him, Umbreon jumped away and rammed into its back. Having no real effect, Machamp turned to attack Umbreon.

"Espeon, attack it while its back is turned!" Mark yelled.

_Right, Mark!_ Espeon replied, the jewel on her forehead glowing violet. _Shadow Psychic!_

A blast of psychic energy crashed into Machamp's back, throwing the Fighting-type into a large rock sticking out of the ground. After a few seconds, Machamp got back up and cracked its knuckles to prove it wasn't hurt to badly.

"No way!" Mark moaned. "That should've worked."

"It must be higher level than you thought, Mark." Brock said. "Onix, use Rock Throw!"

Onix tossed large boulders at Machamp. After burying it, Onix turned its attention to Shadow Onix. The black Onix was curled up on the other side of the gym, supposedly sleeping but highly alert. Onix kept an eye on it as Dart spoke again.

"Man, you guys are good so far. Far better than I expected." Dart smirked. "But I'm willing to bet the only reason you're winning is because of that Gym Leader, Brock."

"Oh, will you shut up already!!" Alex yelled. "I'm sick and tired of hearing that whiny voice of yours. Mark, shouldn't we have beaten him by now?"

Mark sighed. "Probably…but that Machamp is pretty strong."

"And that Shadow Onix isn't too bad either." Brock added. "This guy sure put up a good team, I'll give him that. And he's keeping his Onix away from Alex so she can't hit him with a water attack…but something tells me it's doing that on its own, not by that guy's orders."

"Yeah, I noticed." Mark said. "I wonder what level his Pokemon are."

"What level they are shouldn't matter to you!" Dart snapped, clearly mad at being ignored while his Onix held their attention. "So what if Onix does what it wants, I don't care! As long as it fights for me, it can do whatever it wants!"

"…" Alex giggled suddenly. "Is that your way of saying that Shadow Onix won't listen to you?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Dart yelled. "Machamp, get out of that rock pile and beat these three!"

Machamp threw most of the rocks off of it and stomped out, its shadowy aura intensifying. Then the Fighting-type dashed at Espeon and punched at her. Espeon jumped around, trying to dodge them all when she was punched in the side, throwing her into a nearby rock and crashing through it.

"Umbre!!" Umbreon cried, running to her. After uncovering her, he cried, "Umbre umbre! Umbreon?"

Espeon got up and shook herself off. _I'm fine, Umbreon. Thank you for your concern._

"Umbre…"

"Espeon, Umbreon, look out!" Alex shouted.

Umbreon twisted around and rammed into whatever was attacking him and Espeon. When he opened his eyes, Umbreon saw and badly bruised Tyrogue slowly staggering to its feet. Umbreon immediately started growling, ready to spring if it attacked again. Tyrogue fell back down, nursing its bleeding shoulder.

"Hey, Mark!" Alex said. "Don't you think we should catch it?"

"Yeah, guess I should." Mark said, grabbing a Poke Ball. As soon as he tossed it, Tyrogue turned and batted it away. "Whoa, that's new."

"Guess it isn't ready to be caught yet." Alex suggested.

"Yeah. Well, when you do catch it, we'll finish this guy and then get it to the Pokemon Center." Brock added. "Onix, keep and eye on Machamp for us!"

Onix nodded. The trio turned back to Tyrogue just in time to see it climbing to its feet again. It was limping and blood was dripping from a bite on its right shoulder. Tyrogue lifted its fists, intent on going down fighting.

"Sparks, use Quick Attack." Mark said, hoping to catch Tyrogue.

The Pikachu was just about to attack when a loud crash erupted from above them. Shadow Onix and Onix were attacking one another, crashing and throwing rocks. Shadow Onix started to use Shadow Sandstorm but Onix crashed into it, throwing it into a nearby wall behind Dart. After crashing to the ground, Dart started shaking.

"N-N-No fair!!" he yelled at Brock. "You weren't this strong when I took this gym, so why are you so strong now?!"

"Because when you took my gym, you used a different team of Pokemon." Brock replied. "You used types that could beat Rock-types, so my team was at a disadvantage. But now that you're using types I can handle, my advantage came back. Different teams have different strengths. A true Gym Leader would know this already."

Dart stepped backwards, his foot bumping Shadow Onix's nose. The giant black stone snake Pokemon got up against and roared at Onix, daring it to come get it. Onix gladly took the invitation and used Rock Throw. Shadow Onix countered with Shadow Smash, destroying the rocks being thrown at it.

"Whoa, it's Onix against Onix!" Alex yelped. "Maybe now's a good time to have Poliwhirl jump in and blast it?"

"Maybe, but just wait." Brock replied. "I wonder just how strong that Shadow Pokemon is compared to my Onix."

"Yeah, sure." Mark said. "But we still have Machamp to deal with!"

Sure enough, Machamp had stomped forward and readied itself for battle. It had a few scratches but nothing major. Espeon and Umbreon got prepared to fight, but Espeon suddenly looked up at the stands up on the walls of the gym. Her red eyes narrowed at the stands, now bathed in shadows.

Brock noticed this. "What's wrong, Espeon?"

Espeon continued to just stare. Then she said, _Someone is there._

"Where?" Mark asked. "Who?"

_I…don't know exactly,_ Espeon said, never tearing her eyes from the stands. _But one of those presences feels familiar somehow. As for the other, I don't know who that is. I can also sense a Pokemon with them._

"Guys, Machamp's about to attack!" Alex yelled. "Get ready, Poliwhirl!"

Espeon looked away from the stands and glared at Machamp. As she, Umbreon, and Poliwhirl charged at it, three shadowy figures stood in the stands. One was in a lab coat and was tapping a Poke Ball against the railing. The second person was resting their arms on the railing, watching Dart silently with a frown on their face. The Pokemon was rubbing its head against the second person's leg, ignoring the battle altogether. All three stood there in the shadows, waiting for the outcome of the battle.

_On the unknown island that houses Cipher…_

Mist entered the dark room for the second time. Poindexter still remained in his seat, typing away at the eerily glowing computer. He was hacking something again but Mist couldn't care less. "Poindexter." He growled.

The brunette twirled around in his chair and saw Mist hold up the computer chip. "What do you want?" he growled. "I already deleted those files!"

"Oh really?" Mist chuckled. "Then how did they get into those Snaggers' hands? Oh, just forget it! I need you to do something for me."

"Now what?"

"I know you were the one who gave them those files, which means you still have a copy of Anna's records somewhere." Mist said. "I need you to check through those records and find out exactly how she died."

"But I can't." Poindexter squeaked. "Boss ordered that you have no access to that!"

Poindexter found himself hauled out of his chair and smashed against his computer, cracking the monitor slightly. Mist held him up by the collar of his shirt and hissed, "I. Don't. Care."

Poindexter simply stared in horror as Mist grabbed a Poke Ball… _that_ Poke Ball. "Wait, wait!" he cried. "I'll do it, okay! Just let me go!"

Mist waited silently for a few seconds before releasing him. After retreating a few steps from the hacker, Mist said, "Sorry about the computer. I'll fix it when I get time."

"You know, just forget about it." Poindexter said, trying to joke around. "These things happen all the time with people like you, with people like Cipher." _God, I need to get out of here soon!_ He thought, returning to his cracked monitor and pulling up Anna's files. "There, you happy now?"

Mist moved forward and pushed him aside, scrolling down the files until he reached the part on her death. He spoke aloud. "Anna Marie Hikoru was found among the remains of a car crash… what's this writing in red?"

He turned to Poindexter and repeated his question. "Cipher," Poindexter said. "That ought to be the real story on how she died. They added that into her files in the Cipher mainframe not long before you joined. But I've got to warn you, it's not pretty."

"Okay then…" Mist muttered and started reading.

_Pewter City Gym…_

Espeon slammed into Machamp's chest, throwing it back a step. When Umbreon tried the same move, Machamp was prepared and grabbed the black dog. Then it threw Umbreon into the gym wall. Umbreon tried to get up, blood running down his back and face.

"Poliwhirl, use Hydro Pump on Machamp!" Alex ordered.

"Poli!" Poliwhirl said, blasting water at Machamp.

Suddenly, Tyrogue threw itself in the attack's path. After being hit, it dropped to its knees and clutched its shoulder, whimpering but still glaring at them.

Mark sighed and tossed a Poke Ball at it. Tyrogue tried to bat it away but failed, and it was captured at last. "One down, two to go." He muttered, looking at Tyrogue's Poke Ball.

Machamp roared and ran at Poliwhirl, intent on beating it. Poliwhirl got out of the way, causing Machamp to crash through a boulder. The Fighting-type got out unharmed though.

Above the other battles, the one between Onix and Shadow Onix was proving to be quite destructive. The gym floor was constantly rumbling with each attack they fired. Shadow Onix was tiring out, slowly but surely. Onix launched another Rock Throw and nailed Shadow Onix again. The shadow in the lab coat on the stands slowing fisted their hands.

Down below, Mark switched out Umbreon and threw in Chimchar. "Why are you throwing in Chimchar?" Alex asked. "Fire types can't beat Fighting-types!"

"I'm hoping that Shadow Onix will use Shadow Sandstorm again. Then I can have Chimchar attack it. Don't you remember in school about what fire and sand do?"

"Huh?" Alex asked. "I feel asleep in that class!"

"I know!" Brock said. "Sand and fire make glass! You're going to trap it in its own attack."

"But I already tried that!" Alex whined. "It doesn't work!"

"You attacked it when it was at full health, Alex." Brock replied. "Look at it now. Onix has been giving it some big damage during their fight. It probably has a little less than a third of its energy left. It won't be able to break out so easily now."

"Oh! I get it now!" Alex said, smiling. "Then do it, Mark!"

"I will when it uses that attack again." Mark said.

Onix crashed into the Shadow Pokemon again. Shadow Onix backed off and used Shadow Sandstorm, hoping to finish Onix off. It was unaware of what was happening right below it.

"Now!" Mark yelled. "Chimchar, use Shadow Fire on that sandstorm!"

"Chim…" Chimchar said, its mouth filling with fire. "CHARRRR!!!"

It blasted the fire at the sandstorm. Dart started yelling for Shadow Onix to end its attack but the Shadow Pokemon wouldn't obey. It had one goal in mind: to prove it was the stronger Onix. The sand started to fuse together, bits of glass now appearing in the sandstorm and getting bigger every second. Soon, the glass became so thick the Shadow Onix couldn't move anymore. It roared in anger as the glass quickly encased it.

"Shadow Onix, stop!" Dart yelled, but soon stopped when his Shadow Onix was trapped inside of its glass prison. "Get out of there! Uh, break out! Do SOMETHING other than sit there!!"

Shadow Onix starting wiggling inside of the glassy prison, but it couldn't break the glass. It was badly weakened by its fight with Onix and could free itself. It glared hatefully at Onix, who was peering at the glass curiously before going back to its trainer. Shadow Onix let out another roar, hoping to shatter the glass. It didn't work.

Dart stared in shock at his Onix. "How could that happen?" he squeaked. "It was so strong. _How_ could a little _monkey_ beat it?"

Suddenly a loud roar made Dart whip around, just in time to see his Machamp crash to the ground in defeat. Espeon placed a paw on its chest and cried, _We have won this battle!_ Chimchar, Poliwhirl, Sparks, and Onix cheered at their first Gym Leader victory.

"Now to catch these guys!" Mark said, pulling out two Poke Balls.

Dart immediately tore his two Poke Balls from his pocket. "Oh, no you don't! You may have beaten me but you are not getting my Pokemon! Machamp, return!" Machamp vanished into its Poke Ball before Mark could throw his.

"Hey, no fair!" Alex yelled. "We won! You can't take back your Pokemon!"

"Oh, yes I can!" Dart snarled. "I placed a copy of our rulebook beside the door. Check it if you want to, it's yours to keep so you guys will know our rules!"

Brock picked up the book and checked it. "Well guys, it says if he returns them first before you catch them, they're his still."

"No fair." Alex muttered. "Mark, at least _try_ to catch Onix!"

"I know, I know!" Mark yelled tossing a Poke Ball at it.

"No you don't!" Dart hissed. "Onix, retu—"

The shadow in the lab coat lifted his Poke Ball and whispered, "Onix, return."

A third Poke Ball shot out of the stand and hit the glass prison that held Shadow Onix, catching it before shooting back into the shadows. Dart and Mark's Poke Balls returned to them, empty.

"What gives?!" Dart snapped. "Who took my Shadow Onix?!"

"Don't you mean _my_ Shadow Onix?" the person in the lab coat asked. The lights flickered on fully, exposing the purple-haired scientist holding a Poke Ball. "Don't forget, I only allowed you to borrow it because you said you needed an extremely powerful Pokemon to win this match. I _thought_ you would use it wisely, but it seems I put too much faith in _luck_."

"Did you see how fast that guy threw that Poke Ball?" Brock asked. "He's got to be pretty talented if it moved that fast."

Alex turned and glared at Dart. "So that Pokemon wasn't really yours! You borrowed it off this guy just to make sure you wouldn't lose! Guess that means you really are scared of us if you need to use someone else's Pokemon!"

"I'm not scared of you!" Dart shouted. "I just borrowed it to ensure my victory. But it seems that didn't work." He glared at the scientist. "You never told me it wouldn't _listen_ to me!"

"Of course not, stupid boy!" snapped the girl by the scientist's side. "It's too high of level for you to control. Now give those stupid Snaggers that stupid badge and let's go home!"

"AND WHAT'S _SHE_ DOING HERE?!!" Dart roared, pointing at the girl.

"What do you expect, stupid boy?" the girl said, smiling. "I'm checking how strong these stupid Snaggers really are."

"Who are you?" Mark asked.

The girl had long blonde down to her backside and electric blue eyes. She was around 19 and wore a yellow and black-striped shirt with sleeves that ended at her elbows, black knee-length shorts, black tennis shoes, and black gloves. She wore golden, lightning bolt-shaped earrings.

Standing beside her was a Shadow Pikachu. It had the same yellow body but with black on its ears had a jagged pattern and the tip of its tail was black with a jagged design. It had glowing red eyes and its cheeks were sparking slightly.

"Oh, me?" the girl asked. "Well, that's easy. I'm Mimzy, a Cipher Gym Leader and keeper of Vermilion City Gym."

"That means she beat Lt. Surge!" Alex cried. "But how could a girl beat him?"

"That stupid Gym Leader probably couldn't beat a fly, let alone a girl." Mimzy said, reaching down and petting her Shadow Pikachu. "His stupid Raichu wasn't fast enough for a Pikachu."

"I almost forgot about that." Brock said. "Lt. Surge evolved his Pikachu into a Raichu and never taught it speed attacks. It was too slow to beat some Pokemon, like Ash's Pikachu once we figured that out."

"I guess this girl figured it out and beat him." Mark added. "That means we know three Gym Leaders now."

"You'll learn to know of us soon, stupid Snaggers!" Dart growled, walking towards them. Once he stood two feet from them, he held out his hand. "Just take the badge and get going."

"Badge?" Alex asked.

Dart opened his hand and presented them with a black badge that looked similar to the Boulder Badge. It had bits of red and purple reflecting off of its surface. "This is the Dark Badge. We decided to keep the custom of badges but we created our own. It's a sign you beat me. The rulebook will tell you everything else." He grumbled, dropping the badge in Mark's hands and walking towards the exit. "Don't think this is the last time you'll see me. We'll meet again, that much I promise."

Mimzy and the scientist followed him out the door. Mark, Brock and Alex ran out just in time to see the trio and the Pikachu vanish into thin air. Mark looked at the badge. "We beat one of them, but we have a lot more to do still."

Brock smiled. "Thanks, guys. You helped get my gym back. I have faith that you guys can get the others back too."

"Thanks, Brock." Mark said, and then he looked at Alex. "Alex still has to beat you for the Boulder Badge. She may be helping me but she just started her journey the day all of this happened."

"Well then, I think she did good enough today." Brock said, taking out a Boulder Badge and giving it to Alex. "Maybe she can come back later and battle me for real."

"Count on it!" Alex said. "Oh my God, my first gym badge! Alright!"

"Come on Alex, let's go." Mark said. Just as he headed for the Pokemon Center, his PDA started beeping. "What? Another goon?"

"We got to go!" Alex cried, waving to Brock. "Bye Brock!"

Brock waved goodbye as the duo ran off to the Pokemon Center. Once they got there, Mark spotted an 18 year old girl with long red hair that reached her middle back. She wore a dark green T-shirt and pants, red and white tennis shoes, and a pair of dark glasses shielding her dark green eyes from view. "I'm glad you came." She said. "I'm not here to fight, just to talk."

"Are you a Cipher goon?" Mark asked.

"No," she said. "I'm a Gym Leader. Saffron's Gym Leader to be exact."

"Why are you here?" Mark pressed. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to give you a message." She said. "I'm telling you not to mention Anna during your battle with Mist. It'll put him in a rage and you will end up either injured or dead due to the ferocity of his powers."

"You guys just don't want him turning traitor on you, that's all!" Alex stated.

The girl sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm telling you this as a friend."

"But you're not a friend." Mark replied.

The girl looked up and stared at Mark. "Yes, I know that. But I do not want you to be killed by Mist. He can't accept the concept of death too well because of Anna. I'm telling you this to reduce the chance of your deaths."

"I think it over." Mark said.

"Thank you for at least listening." She said, walking towards Route 3.

"Hang on!" Mark called. "You know us but we don't know you. Who are you?"

The girl stopped and smiled. "My name… is Rosalean." Then she vanished.

"That was… weird." Alex said.

"Come on, let's get our Pokemon healed and get a room to sleep in." Mark said, entering the Pokemon Center. It was pitch black outside now.

"Okay!"

The two vanished inside, unaware that someone had listened in on their conversation. He vanished, returning to the island so that he could speak with Rosalean about her warning.

_On the unknown island, Poindexter's room…_

Mist stumbled out of Poindexter's room, the hacker being forced to help him walk back to his room. Mist had read everything and even watched a tape that one of the agents had recorded for future reference of the death so they could come up with a way to clear themselves of the crime.

"I told you it wasn't pretty." Poindexter said, placing an arm around Mist's shoulders and helping him walk. "You really shouldn't have watched the tape. That was the bad part."

"Why?" Mist asked. "Why would they do that?"

Poindexter ignored Mist's questions and said, "You better not mention this to anyone, especially the boss. If they find out I told you this stuff, they're gonna kill me. You got that, little buddy?"

Mist simply nodded. Once they reached his room, Poindexter dashed off to his own room. Mist staggered into the bathroom and threw up. After that, he collapsed into bed, too tired to stay away. His dreams were filled nightmares of Anna and Cipher.

**Next Chapter:** Onward to Mt. Moon

Alex flopped down into the grass, exhausted after battling so many trainers. Surprisingly, they encountered more normal trainers than Cipher goons on Route 3. Alex had agreed to battle the trainers while Mark battled the two Cipher goons. _Why did I agree to that again?_ She thought.

"What's the matter, Alex? Tired?" Mark asked. "That's what being a trainer is all about! You get to battle a whole lot!"

"That coming from the guy who only took on two people while I had to fight five." Alex panted.

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel coughed, collapsing beside its owner.

"I'm gonna read this rulebook thing while you're resting, 'kay?" Mark asked.

"'Kay." Alex agreed, closing her eyes to take a nap.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Though the preview wasn't very helpful in telling what will happen next. After the Cerulean City battle, you might not see too much of Mist until near the Elite Four. Now I've introduced Mimzy and revealed what gym Rosalean is controlling, but I didn't reveal what was in that Poke Ball of Mist's! Any ideas on what's in it?

Anyone have any guesses on who it was that saw Rosalean? Was it Dart, Blazer, the scientist, a random Cipher goon, or a new Gym Leader? If anyone has any ideas for Gym Badges, you can put them in your reviews. As well as any idea for Gym Leaders, Cipher minions, Cipher scientists, or any potential allies of Mark and Alex.

Twin2, I already have a chapter planned out where the Cipher Gym Leaders tell one another how they ended up in Cipher. It won't pop up for a while but it will be called Reasons.

Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter. Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!


	14. Chapter 14: Onward to Mt Moon

Thanks, DigiDrew, for telling me that. I haven't been able to watch Pokemon lately because of all the homework I get from school. DigiDrew, your character will pop up a few times and then become part of the team. I'm glad everyone loved the last chapter! Now onto the story! Hooray!

Chapter 14: Onward to Mt. Moon

Mark yawned and got up from bed. Some of his Pokemon woke up for a moment to see what moved before collapsing in bed again. He'd let some of his Shadow Pokemon out last night for some training and went to bed without bothering to return them to their Snag Balls. Sparks lifted his head from Mark's lap, blinking sleepily before going back to sleep again. After gently placing the Pikachu on his pillow, he got up and stretched.

His eyes wandered to the second bunk bed in the room, resting on their guest. The Pokemon Center's rooms were full and they had been forced to have another roommate bunk with them. Alex had made a fuss about the stranger being curious about the Shadow Pokemon but Mark reminded her that this guy probably didn't even know about Cipher. Alex ended up reluctantly agreeing and ignored the guy for the rest of the night.

The stranger was a 14 year old boy with emerald green eyes and messy brown hair covered by a red bandanna tied around his head. He wore a black T-shirt with the Poke Ball symbol on it and khaki shorts. His white tennis shoes decorated with blue stripes were on the floor beside the bed, along with his bag and Poke Balls, three in total.

Mark sighed and wandered to the kitchen. The stranger hadn't given his name last night but had recklessly demanded a battle. Before it could commence though, Nurse Joy had interfered and told them it was time for bed. The guy had been strangely silent after that.

Mark made some toast and buttered it. His Shadow Raichu stumbled in and hopped onto the table, eyeing the toast hungrily. When Mark sat down to eat, Raichu stole a piece and darted back into the bedroom to eat in victory. Mark merely shrugged and ate. He'd gotten used to Raichu's mischievous ways by now and learned that trying to stop him only gave Mark a painful bite or shock for his troubles.

The green-haired boy pulled out his PDA and checked Tyrogue's stats. He never had the chance last night so he'd do it now. Its Attack was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 2'04", 46 lbs, Steadfast ability, and was Level 12.

The stranger walked into the room, sitting at the table across from him. Mark looked at him and said, "What's your name, kid?"

"Will." He replied. "What's yours?"

"Mark Hunter." Mark answered. "You still want that battle from last night?"

That made Will smile. "You got that right!"

"Okay then, Will," Mark said. "After Alex and I check out of this place, we'll battle. I need to train my Pokemon anyway, not that I haven't trained them enough as it is."

"Sure, but be ready to lose!" Will declared, getting up and grabbing some cereal for breakfast. "I'm the best trainer in this town. I'll beat Brock now that he's in charge again. I heard that two kids beat that blonde swordsman that took over yesterday. You know who they are, Mark?"

"Me and Alex."

"Yeah, well whoever they are must be powerful!" Then Will realized what Mark said. "WHAT?! You and that girl beat that guy? How'd you do it?!"

"None of your business, airhead!" Alex snapped from the doorway. "How we beat him is none of your concern."

Will looked down, a defeated look on his face. "Not even Brock could beat that guy and yet you two did?" he mumbled. Then he looked up with a determined look on his face. "That means that if I beat you, I'll prove that I'm even stronger than Brock and that swordsman!"

Alex slapped her forehead. "He's signing his defeat certificate right about now, isn't he?"

Mark took a sip of his soda. "Yep." He said.

After breakfast, the group checked out of the Pokemon Center. Once they reached the entrance to Route 3, Will stopped and pulled out a Poke Ball. "This is where we will battle. Prepare to lose!" Will declared. "Staraptor, go get them!"

Mark sighed and pulled out a Snag Ball. "Munchlax, show that guy a real battle." He said.

The little Shadow Munchlax popped out, looking hungry as usual. Once it set its eyes on Staraptor, Munchlax raised its fists and prepared to fight. Staraptor preened its wings, thinking that this was an easy win.

"Staraptor, use Brave Bird!" Will shouted.

Mark sighed. _Is this guy an idiot or what?_ "Munchlax, use Shadow Tackle."

Staraptor and Munchlax crashed into one another. Staraptor backed off a few steps while Munchlax held its head and groaned. Staraptor shook itself and crashed into Munchlax again, sending it crashing to Mark's feet. Mark sighed again and returned it, tossing a second Snag Ball out. Sentret popped out of it.

"Hey!" Will called. "Before we continue, I have a question. What attack was that?! I never heard of a Shadow Tackle before!"

"It's none of your business." Mark replied coldly. "What attacks we have or what we do is none of your business. Now let's get this fight over with so that I can get to Route 3 and get to the next city."

"Fine!" Will replied. "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor flew high into the air and swooped down, intent on hitting Sentret. Sentret was shaking but allowed itself to be hit by the attack. Mark saw his chance.

"Sentret, use Shadow Rave while it's close to the ground!" he yelled.

Sentret placed its paws on the ground and spikes erupted, crashing into Staraptor. The bird gave a loud cry as it crashed to the ground, blood speckling its feathers from where the spikes grazed it. Will ran to his Pokemon and returned it. _Another one of those weird attacks? What are they? And who are these guys?_ He thought.

"Is this battle done yet?" Alex asked. "We actually want to get to Mt. Moon before dark today, Mark. Can we go yet?"

"Depends on if that's all Will has." Mark replied. "Will, are we done yet? If you want to continue, that's fine by me but we're on a tight schedule. We need to be at Mt. Moon before nightfall and is takes a while to get there."

Will got up and pulled out another Pokemon. "I'm not through yet. Manectric, show them who's boss! Use Bite on that raccoon!"

"Sentret, use Shadow Rave and follow up with Shadow Rush!" Mark commanded.

Manectric raced forward and attempted to bite Sentret. Sentret placed its paws on the ground a second time and giant spikes appeared, hurting Manectric. The electric dog jumped away, licking a deep gash in its right back leg. Sentret barreled forward and crashed into its injured side, forcing it back a few bounds. Sentret backed off and wiped the electric dog's blood from its face, sticking its tongue out in disgust.

"Manectric, are you okay?" Will asked. When the dog nodded, Will said, "Manectric, use Shock Wave!"

"Dodge it, Sentret!" Mark cried.

Sentret raced away but the electric attack crashed into it, making Sentret let out a high-pitched scream. Manectric yelped in response to the loud noise, lying down and covering its ears with its paws to drown out the noise. When the screamed ended, Manectric looked up in victory at the fainted Pokemon.

Mark returned Sentret and threw out Mightyena. When she smelled something burnt, she glared at Manectric. The electric dog blinked in confusion. Something was different about this Pokemon. She seemed normal compared to the previous two. Mightyena started growling, snapping Manectric back into reality.

"Is your Pokemon gonna just stay there, looking at my Mightyena all day," Mark asked. "Or is it going to start attacking?"

Manectric hopped to its feet and growled right back at her. Mightyena, feeling challenged, pounced forward and bit it. Manectric howled in pain, leaping away and licking its shoulder before looking up at the clearly angered Dark-type Pokemon.

Will looked surprised. "You didn't even order her to attack! That has to be against the rules or something!"

"There's no rule against letting a Pokemon fight its own battles." Alex replied. "Your Pokemon got Mightyena angry so she just did what she usually does and bit them. It better learn some manners around her or it won't be around for much longer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Will growled.

"What Alex means is that my Mightyena hates being challenged. Like right now, growling at her means challenging her. She hated that, so she attacked your Manectric. She's been like that since she was a Poochyena." Mark explained. "If you have a problem against Pokemon fighting their own battles, you really don't know anything then."

Mightyena started growling again, which made Manectric back off a step. It had learned its lesson the first time. No growling at the angry dark dog unless it wants to be bitten again. Mightyena smirked, knowing its lesson had been taught.

"Manectric, don't be afraid of her!" Will yelled. "Use Quick Attack on her, now!"

Manectric hesitated but did as it was told. It rammed into Mightyena, hoping it wasn't going to be bitten. Mightyena suddenly placed one paw on its shoulder and crashed it into the ground. The electric dog yelped, thinking it was going to be bitten.

"Good girl, Mightyena!" Mark cheered. "Now use Shadow Ball and finish it!"

Manectric's yelped ended upon seeing that ball of glowing darkness quickly forming in her mouth. She shot it at the Manectric and leaped away, smirking at her victory. Will returned his defeated Manectric and tossed out a third Poke Ball. "Go, Infernape!"

Mightyena started growling again, not liking the smug look on its face. The Infernape simply snorted, already having a strategy planned. "Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" Mark ordered.

"Infernape, use Flare Blitz!" Will commanded.

Infernape's body was entirely cloaked in fire as it charged at Mightyena. She continued to charge her attack before shooting it at the monkey Pokemon. Infernape dodged it and rammed into Mightyena, who started howling in pain from the attack. Infernape jumped away, seriously damaged from using that attack. Mightyena wobbled but did not fall. She charged up another Shadow Ball.

"Oh, no!" Will cried when he saw Mightyena still standing. "Infernape, use Close Combat!"

Infernape dashed and stopped directly in front of Mightyena. Surprised that something that big could move so fast, the attack died instantly in her mouth. Infernape smashed its fist into her chest, throwing Mightyena backwards. She hit the ground hard and yelped in pain. Infernape reappeared beside her and kicked her, sending her crashing into a tree. Mightyena dragged herself up and launched forward, chomping down on its shoulder. Infernape managed to work its fingers between her teeth and pried her jaws open, freeing itself. After getting a safe distance away, it awaited further orders.

"Infernape, use Overheat!" Will said. "Finish it!"

Infernape blasted fire at the dark dog. Mightyena dragged herself out of the way just in time to avoid it. She raced towards it and rammed into Infernape's stomach. The monkey crashed into the ground at Will's feet, unconscious.

Will looked at the Mightyena in shock. She looked ready to collapse and yet she still beat Infernape. Just moments later, Mightyena collapsed at last, fully exhausted from fighting two Pokemon. "How did she do that?" Will asked. "Did you use her to beat that swordsman?"

"No, I didn't." Mark replied.

"And those attacks…they're so different from other attacks." Will continued. "I've never heard of a Shadow Rave or Shadow Rush before. You've gotta tell me how you learned those attacks! They're so powerful!"

"Hey, calm down!" Alex growled. "We can't tell you how we learned them. We especially can't tell you how we got them."

"Why not?" Will asked. "I won't tell anyone, I promise!"

"Look, Will, it's not that we don't trust you," Mark replied. "It's just that we _can't_ trust you. You'd be better off not sticking your nose in our business or trying to beg info off of us. You've got nothing to do with us, so go and battle Brock and then get out of here. We don't want anyone to get hurt by them."

"By who?!" Will demanded, watch Mark return Mightyena and walk towards Route 3.

"We can't tell you, so don't try to find out." Alex said, turning and following Mark. "Hey, wait for me!"

Once they vanished down the path, Will turned and walked towards the Pokemon Center. "Those guys are up to something." He mumbled. Once he left the Pokemon Center, he walked towards Pewter Gym. "Oh well, maybe I'll find out next time I battle them. This won't be the last time you see me…rival!"

_Halfway down Route 3…_

Alex flopped down into the grass, exhausted after battling so many trainers. Surprisingly, they encountered more normal trainers than Cipher goons on Route 3. Alex had agreed to battle the trainers while Mark battled the two Cipher goons. _Why did I agree to that again?_ She thought.

"What's the matter, Alex? Tired?" Mark asked. "That's what being a trainer is all about! You get to battle a whole lot!"

"That coming from the guy who only took on two people while I had to fight five." Alex panted.

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel coughed, collapsing beside its owner.

"I'm gonna read this rulebook thing while you're resting, 'kay?" Mark asked.

"'Kay." Alex agreed, closing her eyes to take a nap.

Mark flipped through the book, thinking about the two goons he'd faced. Oddly enough, neither of them had a Shadow Pokemon on them and seemed to only slow them down a little. He pulled a strange golden flute from his backpack. The second goon had been carrying it with him and dropped it as he ran. _I wonder what it is._

He put the flute away and looked at the top five rules in the book he got from Dart's gym. Number 1: If Gym Leader is beaten, trainer gets a badge. Number 2: Both Pokemon and trainer can attack opponent. Number 3: If Gym Leader pulls back Pokemon before Snaggers catch them, Gym Leader keeps their Pokemon. Number 4: Items cannot be used in battle. And Number 5: Gym Leader and trainer can have as many Pokemon on the field as they want.

"No items?" Mark said. "I never had to use items in Dart's battle. That could be a problem once we beat the first few Gym Leaders though."

He shut the book and pulled out a Snag Ball. Opening it, the cute Shadow Eevee that once belonged to Nik in Viridian Forest appeared. The gray and white bundle of fur climbed into his lap and started begging for attention. Mark still remembered his promise to Nik and intended on keeping it. "Don't worry, little guy." Mark said gently, scratching her behind the ears. "I'll take good care of you."

He pulled out his PDA to check her stats. Back in Viridian Forest he never got the chance, but now he did. Her Speed was three stars, Attack, Special Attack, and Defense were two stars, and Special Defense was one star. It was female, 1'00", 14 lbs, Adaptability ability, and was Level 7.

He turned and looked at the sleeping Alex. _It must be hard fighting all those trainers,_ he thought, smiling. _No wonder she's tired. I'm glad there were only two for me this time. But we're only halfway to Mt. Moon, let alone Cerulean City. I hope we get there before it gets too dark._

A wiggling on his belt caught his attention. He pulled out Mightyena's Poke Ball and let her out. The dark dog shook herself and barked. "Shhhh!" Mark hissed. "Alex is sleeping!"

"Pika pika!" Sparks repeated in his own Pikachu language.

Mightyena nodded and lay down beside Mark, resting her head on his knee. Eevee poked her head from his lap and looked at the bigger Pokemon curiously. After a moment, she hopped out of his lap and curled up beside Mightyena, causing the latter to lift her head and growl. "Vee?" Eeevee questioned, blinking.

Mightyena got up and walked around Mark, curling up on his other side. Eevee followed her and curled up beside her. Mightyena simply got up and moved again. This process continued for 20 minutes before the Dark-type finally gave in and allowed the small fox to sleep beside her. The look on her face was priceless to Mark.

"Poor Mightyena." He chuckled, keeping a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughs. "I guess Eevee thinks you're her mother, girl."

Mightyena snorted, eyes narrowed to a dangerous level. Then she relaxed and licked Eevee's head, startling the little Pokemon back into awareness. Then she realized that it was only her 'mommy' and not an enemy. The fox Pokemon fell back asleep and Mark smiled, knowing that Mightyena would take care of Eevee, too.

An hour later, Mark shook Alex awake. "Hey, wake up, sleepyhead! We got to get moving or we won't make it to Cerulean before nightfall."

Alex moaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Why can't we just stay here?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mark said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because Cipher might attack us. In Pewter, you said you wouldn't want to sleep outside while Cipher's around, and now you want to sleep outside?!"

"Okay, okay! I get the point!" Alex snapped, getting to her feet. "I'm up! Let's get going already. I don't wanna sleep in Mt. Moon with all of those Cipher goons around here."

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel agreed, walking alongside its owner.

The trio headed down the route to Mt. Moon while the sun quickly crossed the sky.

_Elsewhere on the unknown island…_

Dart sighed, dropping to his knees in the pitch-black room his master, the head of Cipher, resided in. No one had ever seen his face except for the Cipher Elite Four, and even they dare not tell of what he looks like. Dart knew he was finished, dead, done for. No one failed the boss and lived…_No one_.

"Well, Dart," came the cold voice of his master. "What do you have to say for yourself? What clever words will you come up with to save yourself from my wrath? Well, Dart, I'm waiting."

Dart gulped. "I-I'm sorry. Those kids outsmarted me this time, but next time—"

"_What_ next time, Dart?" his boss interrupted. "Tell me why I should give you a 'next time'?"

Dart was shaking in anger. "Because next time, I'll beat them. The only reason I lost was because that stupid scientist's Onix didn't obey me. If you give me another chance, I guarantee I'll end their threat. That's a promise!"

His boss fell silent. It seemed like an eternity until he spoke again. "One. More. Chance. That's all I'm willing to give. If you had been just one of the Peons, I would have disposed of you and been done with it. This privilege will only be given to you Gym Leaders. Once you leave, inform your fellow comrades of this new information. Now leave."

Dart stood up and nodded. "Got it. Thanks, man—I mean, boss!" He ran from the room immediately.

The boss sighed from his chair. "Do you see how they squirm when faced with failure, Dr. Pine?" he asked. "These people are so easily manipulated."

The purple-haired scientist who owned the Onix stepped out from the shadows. "Yes sir, I see what you mean by that." Dr. Pine agreed. "But are you sure that it was okay for this so called 'Shadow Master' to show those Snaggers the disk with valuable information on Shadow Mew?"

"Yes, it's fine." The boss replied. "They will soon find out the true might of Cipher. Have you managed to catch any other legendaries yet, Dr. Pine?"

"Yes, we have." Dr. Pine replied. "We have caught the three legendary birds and are currently tracking the three legendary dogs in Johto as we speak."

"Good, Dr. Pine." The Boss said, waving his hand. "You may leave now. Get to turning those birds into Shadow Pokemon."

The scientist nodded and left the room. "Yes sir."

_Elsewhere on the unknown island, Gym Leader bath house…_

Dart entered the Cipher Gym Leader bath house and collapsed into a lounge chair. He looked up to see Blazer, Florence, Rosalean, and Mimzy giving him odd looks. He looked around and spotted Mist standing in the shallow end of the pool. "What's wrong, stupid Dart? You see a stupid ghost or something?" Mimzy asked in her mocking tone.

"Oh, will you shut up so he can talk?!" Rosalean growled.

"You got something to say to me, stupid flower girl?"

"No, but I have a bone to pick with you! Where do you get off acting like that?!"

"I can act any way I want to, stupid!"

Blazer stepped between the two bickering girls. "Ladies, ladies, relax!" he said calmly. "Let's hear what blondie has to say and then you two can fight, 'kay?"

Both girls looked at him, glaring daggers. Luckily, the fire trainer was saved by none other than Dart. "Guys, the boss gave me a message!" he shouted. "Even if we all fail to beat those Snaggers, the boss will give us a second chance because of our status."

"What's the catch?" Mist asked, sounding slightly ill.

"Huh?" Florence replied, glancing at the psychic boy. "Are you okay, Mist? You're not looking too well. Maybe you should go see Eva, she can fix you up."

"Maybe, but what's the catch, Dart?" Mist repeated. "The boss never gives chances without a catch. What is it?"

Dart looked at the ground. "Actually, he never mentioned a catch exactly." He admitted sheepishly.

Mist sighed. "I think the reason I'm getting ill is because I'm surrounded by buffoons…except Rosalean, that is."

"Hey, watch your mouth, whitey!" Dart snarled. "I bet I do way better than you'll do during your Gym battle!"

"We'll see about that, Dart." Mist replied, looking up upon sensing someone outside of the door. "There's someone outside."

The door opened and a tall man in a black suit and tie entered the room. He was wearing thick black sunglasses the covered most of his face except for his forehead and mouth. He also had smooth black hair. He looked strikingly similar to a secret agent or bodyguard. "Is a Miss Rosalean in this room?"

Rosalean nodded. "Uh, yeah. That's me."

"The boss has given me orders to speak with you about a certain conversation with the Snaggers that you had last night after Mr. Dart was defeated." The man replied. "If you would please come with me."

Rosalean looked at the others for help. When none of them came to her aid, she silently followed the man down the hallway to a big white room. Once she got there, she sat at the table and looked around worriedly. "Now what?" she asked nervously.

"We begin our talk," the man replied. Then a cruel smile appeared. "And your punishment."

"P-p-punishment?!"

"Yes, for betraying vital information to the enemy." He responded. A Poke Ball appeared in his hands and he opened it, releasing a Kadabra. "Kadabra, it's time you had some fun with an information-traitor."

Kadabra lifted its spoon. Rosalean never even got to scream.

_The base of Mt. Moon…_

Mark and Alex looked up at the mountain they would be forced to climb in order to get to Cerulean city. "Man, that's tall." Alex commented.

"Yeah, it is." Mark replied. "We better get going. I'm surprised that we haven't met any Shadow Pokemon yet. That's really weird."

"I know!" Alex said, following Mark as he entered the mountain. "Why haven't they attacked us? It's almost as if they abandoned us. Maybe they don't want to play anymore?"

"Or maybe they're setting a trap for us." Mark argued. "Keep an eye out and look for anything suspicious-looking."

"Like that rope circle you're about to step in?!"

"What?!" Mark looked down and saw a rope circle just inches from the sole of his right shoe. "Whew! Geez, that's the oldest trick in the book. Do they really think we're that stupid?"

Mark took a step to the left…and pulled a trip wire. A large net crashed down on top of them. "Aaaaaahhhh!! We're trapped!" Alex shrieked. "Mark, get us out of here!"

"I don't know how!"

"Use your Pokemon!"

"Use your Sneasel to cut the rope!"

"Oh, I forgot he had claws." Alex chirped. "Sneasel, tear this net to pieces!"

Sneasel shredded the net within seconds, freeing the duo from the trap. "Okay, so maybe we _are_ stupid enough to fall for these traps." Mark corrected himself. "We better keep a close watch for more of these traps or any trainers."

"Okay, will do!" Alex replied, nodding.

The duo headed deeper into the mountain, encountering wild Pokemon, traps, and a few normal trainers. Wherever the Cipher goons went, they were sure to be back sooner or later. But for now, they were safe…but nothing ever stays safe forever.

**Next Chapter:** Big Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise

"Misty!" Alex cried, launching herself into the Gym Leader's arms. "I'm glad to see you!"

"And I'm glad to see you two." Misty replied. Then she looked up at Mark. "You two are okay, right? Brock told me about how you saved his gym. Did Cipher do anything to you guys on Route 3 or in Mt. Moon?"

"No, Misty, they didn't do anything." Mark admitted. "Actually, we met more normal trainers than Cipher goons."

"That's odd. Prof. Oak told us there were tons of them in Mt. Moon." Misty said. "I wonder what happened to them."

"Maybe Mist called them off." Alex suggested. "But why?"

"Because he doesn't need them." Mark mumbled. "This battle's gonna be pretty tough since he beat us last time. But we'll beat him this time, no matter what!"

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Hey guys, I hope you like this one. DigiDrew, I hope you liked how Will was introduced. He'll pop up in a few places before really joining the gang but if you have any ideas on battles or such, leave it in your review. I wonder what happened to Rosalean and who is that agent guy? Find out in the next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15: Big Trek, Trouble, Surprise

Hey guys! I'm happy with all the reviews I'm getting so far! Thanks for the support and ideas, everyone! I'd like to take the time to thanks all of you:

**Mist-Sensei**, thanks for the constant support and ideas on characters. You've helped me think up parts of the story I couldn't figure out and you gave me the idea to make the Cipher Gym Leaders. Without you, this story might not be as good as it is now, and Mist and Dart would have never existed without you… and neither would Lax.

**TwinTrouble**, thanks for the support and praise. I'm happy you enjoy it and have helped me figure out whether to keep it a big story or divide it by regions. Thank you for reminding me of the Time Flute and such, and for taking the time to read my story.

**anonymous**, thank you for constantly supporting me on my stories. You've been a great help with finding ideas and making characters. Don't worry, Ice will reappear soon enough! I'm glad you really like this story.

**DigiDrew**, thank you for the support and character ideas! I'm happy that you like Blazer and hope you like how Will is, too. Thanks for the info on Brock's Onix, too! Your two characters are going to be around for a long while, so they're not vanishing anytime soon. I hope you continue reading and supporting me through this story.

As for everyone else who reviewed, thank you so much!! I'm truly grateful to you all for taking the time to read my story. Now onto the chapter!!

Chapter 15: Big Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise

Mark and Alex kept walking through the vast tunnels going through Mt. Moon. So far, they've managed to avoid more traps and still haven't seen any Cipher goons. Alex battled a few normal trainers that popped up and her Sneasel got even stronger. Sparks the Pikachu walked just a foot ahead of the duo, lighting the tunnel with short bursts of electricity sparking from his cheeks.

Alex smiled as she dashed ahead to pick up a Rare Candy left on the floor of the tunnel. She had to jump over a large crater in the floor, probably made by the Clefairy and Clefable that inhabit the cave. After she picked it up, she ran east and then north, going up the tunnel to grab an Escape Rope.

She turned to see Mark and Sparks lagging behind. "Hurry it up, guys!" the blue-haired girl called. "We don't want to be here when it's dark out!"

"We don't even know what time it is, Alex!" Mark retorted. "At least slow down! We've been running around since early this morning!"

"I know, but—" Alex started but looked around. "Mark, did we pass that ladder already?"

"Huh?" Mark jogged to catch up. "Yeah, we did. It probably leads elsewhere in Mt. Moon, Alex. How come?"

"After we explore the rest of this, I'm going down one of those ladders to see if it's the exit." Alex replied, running to Mark's right.

Mark sighed and followed her. "And to think just an hour ago, _she_ was the one complaining about being tired. How'd she get so much energy so fast?"

After exploring the rest of the tunnels and finding a Moon Stone, the duo turned to the ladder that was in the room where they found the Moon Stone. A sign by it said, 'Ladder E'. Alex smiled and climbed down it without hesitation. Mark reluctantly followed, mumbling, "It might be a trap," under his breath.

They entered a long tunnel that curved east halfway through. "Where are we, Mark?" Alex asked.

"We must be on another floor of Mt. Moon." Mark replied. "We went down, so this must be one of the basement floors. There are two from what I heard. All of those ladders must lead down here."

"Oh, okay!" Alex said, running down the tunnel. "Let's check it out! Maybe this is where all those Cipher goons are!"

"Maybe," Mark muttered, and then raced after her with Sparks at his heels. "If that's true, then keep an eye out! Slow down, Alex! Alex!!"

Alex turned to her left and raced down the remains of the tunnel. A second ladder marked, 'Ladder F' was the only thing at the end of the tunnel. Alex climbed down it to the second basement floor of Mt. Moon. Mark followed after her at a slower pace. Once there, Alex looked around in awe. "This place is huge!" she cried.

"No duh, Alex!" Mark panted, crouching on the floor. "We're inside of a mountain, so of course it's going to be huge!"

"Pika pika!" Sparks cried, pointing to a pit that two sets of ladders lead down to. And in that pit, kicking some dirt around… was a Cipher Peon.

"Alex, there's a Cipher agent down there!" Mark hissed, pointing to him. The Cipher goon hadn't noticed them yet, too wrapped up in kicking dirt and mumbling to himself.

Alex stood beside Mark and smirked. 'Then let's go get him, Mark! Come on!"

"Not yet, Alex!" Mark growled. "I'm trying to find out what he's saying."

"Oh, okay." Alex muttered, falling silent.

After a few seconds, they heard the goon mumbling again. "…stupid Prof. Pine! I can't believe he made us come down here! 'Climbing is not possible. To get past it, you need to take the tunnels.' Man, I hate his whiny little voice!" The goon kicked a rock into a small crater in the pit he was in. "So what if he's boss' pet?! I'd really love to kick his butt right about now. 'You have to go gather more Moon Stones to power my equipment or you'll be fired.' Man, I wish something would blow up in his face already!"

"Moon Stones?" Alex whispered. "Why would they look for Moon stones here?"

"This place is known for the meteor showers that happen a lot around here." Mark explained. "The meteorite shards that fall in here become Moon Stones. I guess Cipher's machinery is running on them. But why?"

Suddenly the goon looked up and saw them. "Hey, you!"

"I guess we've got to fight now?" Alex asked Mark.

"Yep, I guess so." Mark answered, walking around the edge of the pit to the stairs and going down them. Once he was face to face with the goon, he waited for him to make the first move.

This goon was wearing all black and had short purple hair. "Are you those Snaggers everybody's been talking about?" he demanded. "Well, take this! Pulverize them, Sandshrew!"

"Mark, is that a—" Alex started.

"Nope, it's a normal one." Mark replied dully. "Geez, where did all of the Shadow Pokemon go?"

"There's only one Shadow Pokemon in this place but it's running loose around here." The goon answered. "We'll grab it before you do!"

"So there's only one Shadow Pokemon in Mt. Moon?" Mark asked. "And now it's on the loose. But how?"

"Maybe if you beat me, I'll tell you." The goon dared. "Sandshrew, use Scratch!"

"Sparks, use Quick Attack!"

Sandshrew ran forward and scratches viciously with its claws. Sparks ran at it full speed and rammed it, throwing the Ground-type backwards. Sparks repeated the move and Sandshrew collapsed at the goon's feet. The goon pulled out a second Poke Ball.

"Go, Zubat! Use Supersonic!"

The Zubat opened its mouth and released a high pitched cry. Sparks stumbled backwards, clamping both paws over his ears to drown out the loud noise. Then Zubat rammed Sparks and bit him. Sparks jumped away and shocked it with electricity. The Zubat struggled to get up and was rammed by Sparks again. The goon returned it and grabbed a third Poke Ball.

"Show him who's the boss, Geodude! Use Tackle!"

Geodude launched itself at Sparks. The Pikachu jumped away and pounced into the air, bringing its glowing tail down on the Rock-type Pokemon. Geodude curled up and rolled away, taking minimum damage. Suddenly, it turned into a ball of ice.

"Geodude!" cried the purple-haired goon. "But how? Pikachu can't learn Ice-type attacks!"

"Pikachu can't," Alex chuckled. "But Sneasel can."

"Sneasel sneas," Sneasel hissed, pointing one clawed paw at the goon. "Sneasel sneas!!" it cried, swiping the claw at him.

"Looks like you lose." Mark said. "Now tell us about that loose Shadow Pokemon."

The goon gulped and nodded.

_Elsewhere on the unknown island housing Cipher…_

Rosalean looked around the giant black…place she was in. There were no doors, no windows, not even a floor! She was just floating there like in a dream. She looked up to see a large silver bubble appear in front of her, reflecting an old memory she wished to forget. She didn't know where she was or how long she'd been here, but she did know one thing. This had to be a nightmare.

The silver bubble showed a twelve-year-old Rosalean running through a forest, trying to outrun some men. She had just witness a fight-to-the-death match between Pokemon gang trainers, and they didn't want her to tell anyone about it. She continued to run but tripped on something. She looked down and screamed.

The memory ended. Rosalean tried to forget it. This place was showing all of her worst fears and it was scaring her. Then she heard voices. Voices she had tried so hard to forget but they still echoed in her mind since that day. The day her normal life ended and her criminal life began…

"I heard that girl, Rosie, vanished yesterday. I wonder what happened to her."

_I'm right here_, Rosalean thought.

"Her mother is in the hospital for a serious injury. Some say her arm was broken by a Pokemon, one with sharp teeth and claws."

_Yeah, it was a Pokemon._ Rosalean thought sadly. _It was my Pokemon…my Floatzel._

"The father was found dead on the street. I heard a Pokemon ripped his throat out. There was a message written in blood by the body."

_That's right_, Rosalean thought. _Daddy died because of Floatzel, too._

"What did it say?"

"It said, 'Don't come looking for Rosie.' Some say she killed them."

_That's right. They disappeared, just like boss wanted._ Rosalean remembered.

Then she heard a twisted voice she had hoped to never hear again. "Rosalean? Rosalean, where are you?"

Rosalean covered her ears and screamed, "Go away! You're dead!"

"Rosalean, please come out." The voice said in a cruel voice. "You know you can't hide from me."

"Go away!" she screamed.

"Fine then. Hide and seek it is." The voice said. "One, two, three, four…"

Rosalean got up and ran through the strange black place, trying to keep away from the voice. _I thought I would never hear that voice again. Why is it back?_

"Five, six, seven, eight, nine,"

The voice stopped. Rosalean stopped. She looked around wildly, looking for where the voice would hide next. _Where is it?_

It felt like an eternity before she heard the voice again. "Ten! Ready or not…"

Rosalean felt something wet against her feet that was gradually going higher. She looked down and saw red water. No, not water at all…blood. A hand appeared and gripped her throat, ending any other screams. The voice materialized into a huge shadow with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth.

"Here I come." The shadow finished, shoving her down into the blood.

Rosalean screamed and everything turned black again.

_On the island housing Cipher, medical ward…_

A screamed ripped through the air of the medical ward as Rosalean shot up out of bed and clutched her head, crying. Florence entered the room and stood in the doorway, watching the redhead bawling. After a while, the Gym Leader said, "I guess you got your punishment, didn't you?"

Rosalean looked up at the Grass Cipher Gym Leader. "What are you doing here, Florence? Shouldn't you be in the library, reading your silly plant books?"

"Yeah, I guess I should be." Florence replied. "But I came to check up on you. That guy sure gave you quite a nightmare, eh?"

"Who was he?"

"Oh, the guy?" Florence asked. "I dunno, Rosalean. One of the boss' men who has a high position but not as high as us. What did you do to get in trouble?"

"I warned the…" Rosalean sighed. "I warned the Snaggers not to mention Anna when they battle Mist."

"How come?" Florence demanded. "Since when have you cared so much about our enemies? Or is it your undying love for Mist?"

"I don't love Mist." Rosalean said firmly. "He's a fellow Gym Leader and I'm just looking out for him. And it would be a shame to have our enemies killed by Mist's rage before the rest of us get a swipe at them."

"Oh, alright already!" Florence growled. "I get the point about you not loving Mist. Maybe that's because Blazer is more your type."

Rosalean sent her a deadly glare. "I better not have just heard you say that."

"Okay, I get it, Ms. Death Glare!" Florence shouted. "I'm going back to the library where I won't have to deal with you. I was just here to check on you."

After the Grass trainer left, Rosalean pulled her knees to her chest and rested her left arm across them. Her right elbow rested on her left hand and her right hand propped her head up. Her red hair was a mess. "Man, why did that guy do that to me? _What_ did he do to me?"

She shook her head and lay down, falling back asleep. The violet-haired scientist, Prof. Pine, peered in and smiled slightly. _I'm glad boss didn't go overboard this time. I just hope she recovers soon._ He turned and entered his labs. _I also hope those goons are able to find that Shadow Pokemon that broke out. Who knows what could happen if it is caught by the Snaggers…or worse._

He stopped in front of an empty tank filled with red water. The words 'Shadow Legendary Project: Subject 1' was printed on the metal at the bottom of the tank. Prof. Pine rested a hand against the glass, smiling softly. "Where are you…" he said. "Mew?"

_Mt. Moon, basement floor 2…_

Mark and Alex walked passed a wall with water leaking from it to pool on the floor. They had been walking through tons of tunnels and battled many goons with no Shadow Pokemon. The goon they first met gave them some valuable info on that Shadow Pokemon running loose in the mountain.

"That goon said that it can levitate and it's over a foot tall." Mark recited. "It has to be around here somewhere."

"I wonder what kind of Pokemon it is." Alex said. "There's tons of Pokemon that can fly or levitate! Which one is it?"

"He also said that it can be disguised as any Pokemon it chooses at will." Mark reminded. "We've been in here all day and still no sign of an exit! All the Pokemon we've battled had no shadowy aura, and there's been no Shadow Pokemon on radar for a while. Maybe he was lying to us."

"Maybe, but what if he wasn't." Alex argued. "We could finally find another Shadow Pokemon."

Something caught Mark's eye. Looking up ahead, he spotted something glowing red. "Alex, you see that?"

"Yeah, Mark, I do. Now what?"

"Let's check it out."

They spotted a ladder marked 'Ladder G', but that wasn't what had their attention. It was a very large, glowing red bubble floating just above it. The bubble was about the size of a large beach ball and had a shadowy aura. And perched on top of it, bouncing and laughing playfully…was a black cat Pokemon. It had small red feet and a red tail tip. A pair of mean, glowing red eyes replaced what probably used to be kinder eyes. Two sharp fangs stuck out from its top jaw and little claws poked out of its front paws. So far, it was too busy having fun to notice the humans.

"Mark," Alex whispered. "Is that what I think it is?"

Mark simply nodded. "Yeah, Alex. It is. It's Shadow Mew."

Alex took a step backwards and tripped over a rock. The little Pokemon stopped bouncing and floated in midair, staring at the two with wide red eyes. Then it flipped around and started growling. _Who are you two and what do you want?!_ It demanded.

Mark gulped. "That Mew really sounds like an angry teenager, doesn't it?"

Alex nodded.

_Well?!_ Mew spat. _What do you want?! More people trying to steal my fun? I've had it with you guys keeping me locked up in a cage and running endless amounts of tests on me! Why can't you just leave me alone?!!_

"Geez, Mew has an attitude problem!" Alex growled. "Why is it getting mad at us? All we did was walk in on it having fun."

"It probably thinks that we're Cipher." Mark said. He turned to Mew and said, "Look, we're not like those other people. We're nice and don't want to hurt you. Could you come here so we can…talk to one another?" Secretly, Mark was readying a Great Ball he was carrying. He knew it probably wasn't going to work but he had to try.

Mew's red eyes narrowed and Mark was flung up into the air. The Great Ball was sent crashing to the ground while Mark remained airborne. _You were trying to capture me, weren't you?!_ It shouted angrily. _Maybe if you hadn't tried that, I would have talked to you but now I won't. You're no different that those other people in the white coats!_

"Mew, calm down!" Alex cried. "Cipher wants to use you to hurt people! We want to turn you back to normal! Please, put Mark down!"

_Normal? I am normal, you stupid human!_ Mew shouted back. _No matter who I go with, I'll have to fight. So I'll choose no one!_

Mew threw Mark down to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Then it started throwing red Aura Spheres at the duo, trying to hit them. "Alex, we have to get to the ladder. Maybe it'll lead to an exit!" Mark cried, shoving the Great Ball into his backpack.

Alex nodded and the two dashed to the ladder. After jumping down it and entering another room, Mark spotted another ladder marked 'Route 4'. "Let's get out of here!" Alex said. The two climbed down it and escaped from Mt. Moon at last.

Mew hovered close to the ladder leading to Route 4, silently watching the two Snaggers running away from it. _So, those two humans were cowards after all. Just like all the others._ Mew looked around upon hearing footsteps. _I better hide!_

Mew transformed into a Zubat and hissed at the man entering the room. Then the man lifted a pure black ball with red stripes and said, "Time to go back to the lab, Mew." He tossed the ball at the Zubat, smiling when a huge, glowing red net burst from the ball and ensnared the bat. It vanished in a puff of smoke and Mew lay there, panting.

_Who…are you?!_ Mew gasped from the net, clawing at it with sharp claws.

The man raised the ball in front of it. "A Cipher scientist," he said. "One of the ones you escaped from!" He threw the ball and Mew screamed.

_Route 4…_

Mark and Alex collapsed into the grass upon exiting the mountain. "Man, that was too close! Right, Mark?" Alex asked, resting her hands on her knees.

"Right, Alex." Mark replied. "Who'd have thought we'd meet Shadow Mew this early. I'm just happy it didn't do anything more than attack us. Was that the loose Shadow Pokemon? No wonder Cipher is in such a hurry to get it back."

"Yeah, I guess so." Alex said, hugging Sneasel close to her. "Well, Cipher can have it back! That thing was mean!"

"It's a Shadow Pokemon, Alex. Of course it's mean!" Mark exclaimed. "But I don't agree with you about Cipher. I don't believe they should get it back, even if it keeps them out of our hair for a bit." The two stayed there in the grass outside of Mt. Moon for a bit before getting up. "We better get moving. We have to get to Cerulean to meet Misty…and battle Mist."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "And not mention Anna. I think maybe we shouldn't talk about her. Something that redhead woman said really meant it."

Mark looked up at the sky. It was getting dark fast and they really needed to get to Cerulean by tonight. "Yeah, I guess so. Let's get going."

"'Kay, Mark."

The duo started walking, trying to outrun the vanishing sun and growing darkness. A single star twinkled in the sky, giving a bit more light to the ever-growing shadows. Much like a young girl against an evil organization. A small voice in the wind whispered, _Good luck, you two!_

_On the island housing Cipher, Mimzy's room…_

Mimzy, the blonde keeper of Vermillion Gym, was sitting at her desk. She was painting her fingernails black with a yellow lightning bolt on it. Her bedroom door opened and her blue eyes looked up at the mirror she was currently in front of. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing the only other blonde in their group of eight, the eight Cipher Gym Leaders of Kanto.

"What do you want, stupid swordsman?" she said, returning to her nails.

"I just came to check up on you!" Dart snapped.

"Yeah, well, you checked!" Mimzy hissed. "So now leave, stupid!" She started petting her Shadow Pikachu, who purred in return to the attention.

Dart snorted in disgust. "You should get attached to it, you know." He informed her. "It's likely those Snaggers will catch it eventually."

Mimzy gave him a glare. "Oh, please!" she said. "Those stupid Snaggers will never catch my cute Pokemon. Besides, you're attached to your stupid Machamp and I don't see you bugging Blazer about his stupid Blaziken! So why bug me?!"

"Maybe because bugging myself would be something whitey would do, and Blazer won't listen to a word I say." Dart replied coldly. "Plus, I don't know too much about you anyway."

"Oh, is that your stupid reason?" Mimzy asked, smirking at him. She started painting the nails on her left hand now. "Pretty lame reason. Right, sweetie?" The Pikachu nodded, purring.

Dart growled at the Pikachu, making it jump into Mimzy's lap. "I really hate you and that Pikachu. You two remind me of whitey!"

"Speaking of that stupid psychic, where is he?" Mimzy asked. "Haven't seen him since I first joined a month ago."

"How the heck should I know?!" Dart shouted. "What am I, his keeper?"

"No, you're his stupid rival. And, as far as I know, stupid rivals keep stupid tabs on one another." Mimzy explained.

Dart twitched in contained anger. "I'm going to go see Blazer now." He said in his best controlled voice.

"Why?"

"So I can throw him out of the training room and punch something!" he said, stomping out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, making Mimzy mess up on a lightning bolt.

Once he was gone, she started fixing the ruined lightning bolt. "He's such a stupid, stubborn guy. But he does seem cute, right?" she asked the Pikachu. It nodded. "Yeah, but maybe he ought to cool down a touch. Then he might be just right."

Outside the door, Dart glared at the ground. "Stupid Blazer with his stupid dares and his stupid…everything!!" he muttered darkly. "And why the heck is my face turning red. Anger, it's got to be anger!" He stalked away, trying to figure out what to do now.

_End of Route 4…_

Once the duo exited Route 4, Mark rounded on Alex. "Alex, I don't think we should tell Misty about Shadow Mew. At least not yet."

"How come?"

"That'll put everyone in a panic. Think about it!" Mark asked. "What'll Prof. Oak think about with the idea of an ultra-strong Shadow Pokemon running loose?"

"Bad things? We might even be called off of Shadow Pokemon catching!" Alex cried, realizing the consequences.

"Yeah, and then Cipher will do whatever it wants without worries." Mark said. "Let's keep this between us for now, at least until we get to the last gym here in Kanto. Losing one region will be a major loss to Cipher."

"Okay! Let's do it!" Alex said.

The two walked through the streets until they reached the Pokemon Center. Once there, they gave both of their Pokemon to Nurse Joy to heal and waited for Misty to turn up. It didn't take long. "Mark! Alex! You're here!" Misty said as she entered.

"Misty!" Alex cried, launching herself into the Gym Leader's arms. "I'm glad to see you!"

"And I'm glad to see you two." Misty replied. Then she looked up at Mark. "You two are okay, right? Brock told me about how you saved his gym. Did Cipher do anything to you guys on Route 3 or in Mt. Moon?"

"No, Misty, they didn't do anything." Mark admitted. "Actually, we met more normal trainers than Cipher goons."

"That's odd. Prof. Oak told us there were tons of them in Mt. Moon." Misty said. "I wonder what happened to them."

"Maybe Mist called them off." Alex suggested. "But why?"

"Because he doesn't need them." Mark mumbled. "This battle's gonna be pretty tough since he beat us last time. But we'll beat him this time, no matter what!"

"Yeah, because we know what he can do." Alex said, smiling.

"How about we get a room?" Misty asked. "You must be tired from all that walking."

"Yeah!" Mark agreed. "You wouldn't believe what we've gone through so far, Misty!"

"Well, you can tell me in the morning." Misty replied.

Outside of the Pokemon Center, Mist silently watched the trio going to the second floor. _So, they're back again,_ he thought. _No matter how many times they win, they will eventually lose. Dart was a buffoon who trusted his own strengths too much and never asked assistance from another…at least, assistance he could handle._

The white-haired Gym Leader stood up from his spot on the branch of a large tree and teleported back to the gym. Once there, he sensed fire. Twirling around, his gray eyes narrowed when he spotted the culprit of the flames. It was Blazer and his Blaziken, sparring again. Ever since Dart's defeat, another Gym Leader was to be stationed at the gym the Snaggers were battling, to give assistance beforehand and such. No such luck there for Mist. All Blazer wanted to do was train, train, train.

"Hey, what's with the down face?" Blazer asked, blocking a punch from his Blaziken. "You see a ghost or something?"

"Ghosts would terrify people, not make them a touch upset." Mist corrected, sitting on the floor to watch the sparring match.

"Well, if it was someone familiar…" Blazer started, but was cut off when Blaziken elbowed him in the chest and sent him flying backward. The large Pokemon kneeled beside its owner, who rubbed his aching chest. "Ouch, that hurt."

"Glad to see that _someone_ in this organization can take a defeat and not go crazy over revenge." Mist commented.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Blazer agreed, climbing to his feet and readying himself for round two. "Dart gets beaten and now he's going nuts trying to get revenge. But he knows the rules, we get our chance at them and if they make it to the Cipher Plateau, he can try again before the Cipher Elite do."

"Cipher Plateau? Cipher Elite?" Mist asked. "Who are they?"

"Well, Cipher recently took over the Indigo Plateau and thus, we overthrew the Elite Four and Pokemon Champion." Blazer explained while trying to dodge his Blaziken's attacks. "We found four people who were really strong in our higher-ranks and tested them for hours. Once they were fit enough, they were tested against Florence, Mimzy, Rosalean, and I."

"Rosalean?" Mist asked. "Is that what the punishment for her was? A test against a potential Elite Four recruit?"

"Yep," Blazer replied. "We were all tested without knowing it. Flung directly into a fight, we were. Roslean lost immediately, never stood a chance against that psychic guy. Mimzy was harder to beat but those ghosts managed to beat her under half an hour. Florence was beat under an hour but put up a spectacular fight. And I took the longest to finish off but those dragons were wickedly powerful. Never seen so much firepower all at once. Took us over three hours but he beat me with a Dragon Rage combo, but I don't know what the other attack in the combo was. Probably a Shadow Dragon Rage or something."

Mist remained silent for a long while. "The Snaggers are here. Just so you know."

"I know the rules. Stay out of sight until I'm needed, which I might not be." Blazer recited for the hundredth time that day. "I'm going to bed. Come on, Blaziken, let's go."

"…What about the Pokemon Champion?"

Blazer stopped and shrugged. "Dunno who he is yet. Maybe it'll be you, maybe me, who knows?"

Mist sighed. "I never should've asked you that, shouldn't I?"

"Nope!"

"Thought so," Mist grumbled. "Now get to bed and stay out of my way!"

"Okay, Mr. Grumpy!" Blazer said, and practically ran out of the room when Mist grabbed a bucket of water to hit him with. "Geez, dude, I was joking!!" he shouted.

Once he was all alone, Mist trekked upstairs to his room. It was nothing fancy but it was his temporary room. _Can't get attached. Might not have this tomorrow._ He mentally reminded himself. Reaching over and opening the chest at the end of the bed, he pulled out a beat-up straw hat and hugged it to his chest. "Why did you have to come back and haunt me, Anna?" he whispered. "Why?"

He received no answer, not that he expected any. He returned the hat to its chest and crawled in bed. _I have to forget about that. I have a battle tomorrow that could be the deciding factor of everything I know. If I win, all this Anna stuff is a lie. If I lose, I might need to check my allies out better. Cipher wouldn't lie to me…right?_

He rolled over and gritted his teeth in anger. _No, they wouldn't. But those Snaggers would lie. I'll find out the truth tomorrow. That battle will answer that question once and for all…once and for all!_

_On the island that houses Cipher, laboratories_

"Prof. Pine, we've captured the escapee subject." A scientist informed.

"Excellent!" Prof. Pine exclaimed, turning around to see Shadow Mew being returned to its tank. "Where was it? Who found it?"

"I did, sir!" said a scientist with short black hair and dark brown eyes. "I found it at Mt. Moon on the second floor. When I captured it, it was shouting something about cowardly humans. My radar picked up the Snaggers within the vicinity. Do you think they encountered Mew?"

Prof. Pine walked over to the tank and rested a palm on its glass surface. Mew's eyes were slowly opening. "Possibly, but it does not matter. Mew got to show its strength and now it is back where it belongs until we find a suitable trainer for it."

Mew's eyes were fully opened and were watching the people around. _Oh great, I was recaptured!_ Mew cursed angrily. _I should have known it wouldn't be long before I was back in this tank._

"Don't worry, Mew." Prof. Pine reassured. "Once we find you a trainer, you'll be able to go outside again."

_But I'll be ordered around by a human!!_ Mew shouted.

"Only once they gain your respect and our permission to command you." The scientist who recaptured Mew said.

Mew fell silent. Prof. Pine ordered everyone to get a good sleep before departing to his room. Tomorrow was going to be a rough day for everybody at Cipher. "Good luck, Snaggers." Prof. Pine found himself saying for falling asleep.

**Next Chapter:** Question of Trust

"So, tell me." Mist asked coldly. "What do you know about Anna's death?"

Alex looked at Mark fearfully. "Mark, what about what that woman said? If we talk about her, he'll go nuts! What do we do?"

"If he wants to talk, I say we do it." Mark suggested. "If he does go nuts, maybe he'll slip up and make some mistakes we can take advantage of." He looked at Mist. "We know a lot about Anna, especially how _Cipher_ killed her."

Mist narrowed his eyes. "You're wrong. Anna died in a car accident. Cipher wouldn't kill her, or they'd have lied to me. And Cipher doesn't lie to its best workers."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what Cipher's been doing." Mark shot back. "Cipher is lying to you and you're believing every word they say. I don't know how they did it but you better check your alliances better!"

"Shut up! You're lying!" Mist roared, the water in the pool starting to shake. The whole gym was shaking!

"This isn't good, Mark." Misty said. "He'll destroy the entire gym if he gets angry enough. Now what?"

Mark smirked. "What do you expect? We fight."

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Hi again! Hope you like the chapter! Mossnose, I'll add your character in the next chapter. And I've reached 105 pages for this story! Hooray!

I've added quiet a lot in this chapter, haven't I. The Mimzy Dart moment was just something I thought up that screamed 'add me!' so I did. The next chapter will, naturally, be another Cipher battle but it might be longer than Dart's, depending on how many ideas I fit into it. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! See you next time!

P.S. Mist-Sensei, check your e-mail already!


	16. Chapter 16: Question of Trust

Hey again! Thanks to everyone for reviewing so far. KCSonic113, your characters will pop up in this chapter and future chapters. Steelion, I'll have your character pop up in Vermillion or Saffron unless you have anywhere specific in mind. Thanks to everyone else for reviewing so far! Anyway, onto the chapter!

Chapter 16: Question of Trust

"Sparks, dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Mark shouted.

"Starmie, use Rapid Spin!" Misty commanded.

The two Pokemon clashed against one another on the practice field. They flew apart and awaited further orders. Alex stood off to the side, watching the fight in awe. Misty had wanted to fight against Mark to test his skills, and she sure got the fight she was hoping for! Both were putting their all into this fight.

"Okay," Misty said. "Good job, Starmie. Take a good rest." She returned the purple star Pokemon and looked up at Alex. "Alex, you want to try battling for the Cascade Badge?"

"Do I ever?!" Alex cried, hopping off the fence post and taking Mark's place on the battlefield. "Sneasel, we are _so_ gonna win that badge!"

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel agreed, readying its claws.

"You guys go on ahead." Mark called. "I'm going into town to check for any Cipher goons."

"'Kay, see you soon!" Misty replied, turning to face Alex. "Ready for a tough battle?"

"I was born ready!" Alex said. "Sneasel, use Ice Beam!"

_Outskirts of Cerulean City…_

Mark walked around, looking for any Cipher goons that might be stalking around. It didn't take long to find one, but there was a catch. Someone else was already fighting him. It was a raven-haired boy around 17 wearing a black cap, a red sleeveless shirt, blue cut-off jeans, and sandals. He had a Croagunk out and was facing a Charmander. Mark checked and it wasn't a Shadow Pokemon.

The green-haired Snagger sat against a tree, deciding to see if this guy could beat the goon. In barely moments, the boy wiped the floor with the goon. Returning his Charmander, the goon turned and ran off. Mark got up and walked over to the mysterious boy. "Hey, nice battle." He complimented.

"Thanks!" the older boy replied, turning to face him. "That guy didn't stand a chance against my Croagunk. Oh, my name is Luffy. Who are you?"

"Name's Mark, and I was about to take that goon on myself." Mark said. "There've been a ton of those guys around lately, right?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Luffy agreed. "My little brother and I have been taking them out but we can't beat that gym-stealing white-haired guy."

"His name's Mist and we're going to be taking him out today." Mark said confidently.

"Yeah right!" Luffy laughed. "I couldn't beat him, so how could you?"

Mark put on a serious face. "I'm the one who saved Pewter Gym, and now I'll free Cerulean and all the other gyms. I promised I would."

"You did? That was you?" Luffy asked. "So you're the one everyone's been talking about? Weird, I thought you'd be older. Where's that girl that was said to be with you?"

"Her name's Alex and she's fighting Misty for her badge. She's only starting her journey and just tags along with me." Mark explained. "So you've been taking care of the goons around here?"

"Yeah, I have." Luffy replied, grinning. "The goons we can handle, but Mist is really tough…tougher than Misty. No wonder she lost."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Mark said. "I'm gonna go look for any more goons, then I'm taking on the gym."

"That's a fight I'll want to see."

"Maybe not," Mark mumbled, walking away from the older boy. He was soon joined by Alex and Misty. "How was your fight?"

"Alex won," Misty answered. "Her Sneasel is pretty well trained."

"Of course he is!" Alex exclaimed. "He's my best friend! Right, boy?"

"Sneasel sneas sneas!" Sneasel cried, nodding.

"Hey, Misty, I have something to ask you." Mark said.

"Yeah, what is it, Mark?" Misty asked.

"Do you know a boy named Luffy? I met him beating up a goon with a Croagunk." Mark explained. "I just wanted to know if you knew him."

Misty thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I know him. He travels around quite a lot but always comes back to see his little brother, KC. They both grew up here and live alone. Their father's constantly working and their mother died a few years back. Since dad's not home often, Luffy takes care of KC on his own. They both visited Sinnoh two years ago and came back with some new Pokemon. Those two are always making people smile around here."

"Wow, they sound a lot like Mark." Alex commented. "His parents are gone and he does everything to make people happy, too."

"Yeah, I guess so." Mark said. "How about we get something to eat and then we head for the gym. Mist is probably waiting for us."

"Okay! I'll pay for the food, if that's okay by you." Misty volunteered.

"Sure, why not?" Alex chirped. "Let's get food!"

"Pika pikachu!" Sparks agreed, raising a fuzzy yellow paw into the air. Sparks flew from his cheeks, making Mark's hair stand on end.

"Sparks, quit it! My hair's standing on end thanks to you!" Mark scolded.

"Pika pi!" Sparks cried, jumping into Alex's arms instead. Sparks ignored Mark the rest of the way into Cerulean City.

After getting something to eat, the trio started heading to the gym. After passing the Pokemon Center, the sounds of a big fight were heard. "What's that?" Alex asked.

"Probably a big fight." Mark growled. "Someone's probably trying to take on Mist."

"The fight's going on _outside_ of the gym, Mark! Look!" Misty informed, pointing to a big fight happening just a few feet from the gym.

One of the combatants was recognizable by his silver hair and white jacket. It was Ice from Viridian City and he had his Shadow Mantyke out. The other boy had short black hair and wore a white T-shirt, black pants, black fingerless gloves, and gray boots. He was around 5'11" and had a Pikachu on the field.

"You never should've gotten in my way, runt." Ice growled. "Now you're gonna be frozen. Mantyke, use Shadow Bubble!"

The purple Mantyke unleashed a barrage of explosive bubbles that surrounded Pikachu instantly. The battered yellow mouse looked at them in confusion before popping one with a claw. The ensuing explosion knocked it off its feet and was blasted a few feet back. It crashed at the boy's feet, nearly unconscious.

"Pikachu!" cried the boy.

"I warned you, kid. Now you've gone and gotten me mad." Ice said, glaring at the boy with narrowed bluish-gray eyes. "Mantyke, use Shadow Bubble and finish it."

The Mantyke opened its mouth and released more of the deadly bubbles. Just as Mark was about to jump in and help, the boy whipped out an Ultra Ball and tossed it at the foe. A strange Pokemon the looked like a small red ball with a small spike at the top and bottom, two greenish-white lightning bolts branching from its sides, and greenish-white plasma covering its body appeared. "Rotom, use Thundershock on that Mantyke now!" the boy shouted.

The strange Pokemon, Rotom, started charging up electricity. Then it shot the electric blast at the Water-type Pokemon, frying it. The Mantyke crashed to the ground, barely conscious. "Mantyke! There's no way I lost to a little brat!" Ice shouted, grabbing a Poke Ball.

Mark chose that moment to step in. "Sorry, Ice, but that Pokemon's mine." He said, throwing a Snag Ball. After capturing the Shadow Pokemon, he watched Ice run away and checked its stats.

Its Attack was three stars, Defense, Special Attack, and Speed were two stars each, and Special Defense was one star. It was male, 3'03", 143 lbs, Water Absorb ability, and was Level 15.

"Hey!" Mark looked up to see the strange boy. "You're not supposed to catch other trainer's Pokemon, you know. It's against the law."

"Listen, kid," Mark said coldly. "I have no other choice but to capture other people's Pokemon. Don't worry, I'm not going to take yours. These people are mistreating their Pokemon and I'm burdened with the duty of capturing them and raising them right. Don't ask why 'cause I won't answer that."

"You okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." The boy said. "Oh yeah, I'm KC."

"Wait, that means—" Mark started but was interrupted by someone else.

"KC, there you are! I was looking everywhere for you!" It was Luffy. "What were you doing?"

"Battling a goon that was stalking around the gym." KC explained. "I beat him but this guy captured his Pokemon. Isn't that against the rules, big brother?"

"Yeah, it is." Luffy replied.

Misty quickly started explaining how all of the Pokemon League knew of this and that Mark was allowed to capture them under the condition that he cares for them. After telling the partially-false story, Misty smiled and said, "Do you two understand now?"

"Yeah, now I get it." Luffy replied. "Sorry about KC bugging you. We'll get going now. Have fun battling Mist."

"Mist?!" KC repeated. "They're battling him?"

"Yeah, they are!" Luffy replied. "Now let's go home, little brother."

Once they were gone, the trio turned to the gym entrance. "Let's go, guys." Mark said. They entered the gym and prepared to battle Mist.

The gym was the same as it was the first time Mark and Alex visited it. The room was still covered in mist and some ice glittered on the pool's surface. It was the same dark and gloomy place as before…and cold. They shivered upon entering, keeping an eye open for Mist and his Shadow Lapras that were hiding somewhere in the gym. A loud splash in the water attracted Misty's attention and she pointed out Lapras, who had resurfaced and was watching them closely. Suddenly, it let out a loud cry.

"Ah, why is it crying?" Alex groaned, covering her ears.

"It's calling for Mist, that's why." Mark replied, covering his ears too.

Footsteps echoed throughout the gym and a familiar white-haired teen appeared through the mist. Same clothing, same cold gray eyes, same psychic powers. He wasn't even walking—he was levitating. But the people to his left and right were walking. A young girl with short brown hair was on his right while a man with spiky red hair and a yellow streak walked to his left. All three stopped on the other side of the pool.

"So, you have returned." Mist said. "I'm glad you've come back for a rematch. I hope I won't be disappointed."

"You won't be! I will get my gym back!" Misty declared.

Mist ignored her and looked at Mark. "So, tell me." Mist asked coldly. "What do you know about Anna's death?"

Alex looked at Mark fearfully. "Mark, what about what that woman said? If we talk about her, he'll go nuts! What do we do?"

"If he wants to talk, I say we do it." Mark suggested. "If he does go nuts, maybe he'll slip up and make some mistakes we can take advantage of." He looked at Mist. "We know a lot about Anna, especially how _Cipher_ killed her."

Mist narrowed his eyes. "You're wrong. Anna died in a car accident. Cipher wouldn't kill her, or they'd have lied to me. And Cipher doesn't lie to its best workers."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what Cipher's been doing." Mark shot back. "Cipher is lying to you and you're believing every word they say. I don't know how they did it but you better check your alliances better!"

"Shut up! You're lying!" Mist roared, the water in the pool starting to shake. The whole gym was shaking!

"This isn't good, Mark." Misty said. "He'll destroy the entire gym if he gets angry enough. Now what?"

Mark smirked. "What do you expect? We fight."

The red-haired man grabbed Mist and attempted to calm him down. "Mist, cool it! You'll destroy the entire gym if you let your temper get the better of you. I really mean it, dude, cool it! Do you _want_ boss to be mad at us?!"

Mist took a deep breath and calmed down. "Sorry, Blazer," Mist apologized. "Would you mind letting go of me?"

"Sure, just keep calm." Blazer growled, shoving Mist away from him. "You better not go crazy on us over some stupid girl."

Mist twitched but ignored the urge to brutally murder the Cinnabar Gym Leader for saying that. He instead, turned his attention to his opponents. "Megan, take care of them. Though defeat is most likely." He ordered.

The girl beside him nodded. "Yes sir." She stepped forward and threw two Poke Balls, releasing a Shinx and Buneary. "Do your best, you two."

"Shinx!" the little lion Pokemon nodded. It had a mostly red body with purple rings around its front paws, inside of its ears, and on the star-shaped tail tip. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Sneasel.

"Buneary!" Buneary cried. It had a black body with red fuzz on its ears and lower body. Glowing red eyes locked onto Sparks.

"Sparks, use Quick Attack and Iron Tail!" Mark said.

"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Misty ordered.

"Buneary, use Shadow Pound! Shinx, use Shadow Tackle!" Megan cried.

Sparks raced forward and jumped into the air, narrowly missing Buneary's attack. He brought his silvery tail down on the rabbit Pokemon, knocking it away from them…but throwing it in the pool! Misty saw this and cried, "Staryu, use Dive to get Buneary!"

"Lapras, stop the Staryu!" Mist shouted.

Staryu dove into the water and managed to catch Buneary. Lapras dove after it and unleashed an Ice Beam, freezing most of the water around it in its desperate attempt to stop Staryu. The star Pokemon broke free of the ice and flew from the pool, depositing an unconscious Buneary at Misty's feet. Mark threw a Poke Ball and caught it.

Then Mark turned to Shinx, who managed to tackle Sparks and had him pinned. "Sneasel, help Sparks out!" Alex ordered. Sneasel rammed into Shinx and helped Sparks to his feet. Another slam and Mark captured the Shinx. Megan looked devastated.

"Megan, you may leave now." Mist growled, getting a touch angry.

The distraught girl nodded and ran away, vanishing out the front doors. Blazer glanced at the door and said, "I'm going to go take care of the spy outside the door, Mist."

"Whatever." Mist replied. "Just get done quickly."

"Right, right!" Blazer said with a wave of his hand. "I'll be back in five minutes." He vanished out the door to confront the spy.

Mist turned to face his three opponents. "Well, now the real game begins. Get ready, Snaggers!" Lapras let out another loud cry.

"Sparks, use Volt Tackle!" Mark shouted. "We're going full power with this guy!"

"Yeah, you too, Sneasel!" Alex cried. "Use Avalanche and Ice Beam!"

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin and Water Gun!" Misty called.

The three Pokemon launched themselves at Lapras. The larger Pokemon merely yawned and then swung around, using her shell as a shield. Sneasel's combo attack failed and it resorted to slashing the large black shell while avoid the spikes covering it. Staryu attacked Lapras head-on, making the Water/Ice-type turn around and ram it, throwing the star Pokemon into a wall. Then Lapras smacked Sparks away with a flipper, crashing him to another wall. Lapras turned on the three trainers and let loose an Ice Beam it was charging up. Mark and Misty ran away but Alex wasn't so lucky.

Once the icy mist cleared up, Misty gasped. "Alex!"

"No…" Mark mumbled, eyes wide.

Alex stood in the middle of the icy floor, frozen solid. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought. _Did Lapras freeze me? Maybe that's why I can't move._

"Oh, dear me." Mist chuckled. "It seems one of your friends have been frozen. I hope you have a Fire Pokemon on hand to rescue her with or she'll eventually die from frost and lack of oxygen."

"I doubt he'll let us free her, Mark." Misty said. "Mist will probably try to destroy her now that she can't fight."

"Yeah, you're right." Mark replied. "Sneasel, get off there! Alex is in danger! She needs you!"

"Sneasel sneas?" Sneasel asked, jumping off of the shell. When it saw Alex frozen, it dashed to her, screaming, "Sneasel sneas! Sneasel sneas sneas!!"

"Cyndaquil, come on out!" Mark called, releasing the black and lavender Pokemon. Black and purple flames erupted from its back. "I need you to go over there where Sneasel is and free Alex. You got that?" The Cyndaquil nodded. "Good boy. Now go!"

The little Fire-type Pokemon raced over the ice, slipping and sliding along the way. Lapras tried to freeze Cyndaquil but Sparks shot off Thunderbolts to defend it. Staryu used Rapid Spin to shatter some of the ice in Cyndaquil's path. Misty and Mark watched Mist for any signs of attacking with his psychic powers.

It wasn't long before he got impatient. "This is taking too long." Mist growled, raising one hand. "I'll just get rid of one right now and let Blazer deal with the other. Where is that idiot, anyway?"

_Outside of Cerulean Gym…_

"Well, well, well," Blazer said as he walked down the stair steps. "Who do we have here? You're that kid that battled us yesterday with that other boy. What do you want now?"

"I want to battle! I'm helping Mark and Alex defeat you!"

Blazer fell silent for a second and then burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right? What can a little shrimp like you do, anyways? Nothing!" After wiping away a tear, the redhead pushed his sunglasses back up with a finger and said, "What's your name, kid? I might as well know my opponent's name before I crush them to ashes."

"Well, okay. I'm KC, your defeater!" KC declared. "Charmander, show him who's the boss around here!"

The orange lizard opened its mouth and shot out a small jet of flame. "Char!" it cried.

Blazer sighed and shook his head in disbelief. _Great, I must be fighting a novice…_ He pulled out a Poke Ball and released his Typhlosion. "You're lucky you're just a novice, kid." Blazer said. "If you were more experienced, I'm might have tossed Blaziken or Camerupt out right away. Be glad I'm going so easy…sorta."

"Don't underestimate me." KC warned. "My Pokemon look like beginners but these guys are really experienced. Maybe more than you think."

"Yeah right!" Blazer replied. "Typhlosion, teach him the rules about Cipher battles. Flame Wheel, now!"

KC was ready for him. "Charmander, use Dig!"

_Dig?! No way that thing knows that move!_ But Blazer was proven wrong. The Charmander started digging a tunnel into the ground at lightning-fast speeds. By the time the attack was upon it, the Fire-type was already safe underground. Blazer inwardly groaned. _Frick, the kid wasn't bluffing after all…_

"Okay, Charmander, you can come out now!" KC called. The lizard Pokemon jumped out of the hole and nodded. "Now use Overheat while it's recovering!"

_Overheat?! What's this kid been teaching his Pokemon? Super moves?!_ Blazer narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Typhlosion, use Defense Curl and then Rollout!"

Typhlosion curled up into a tight ball and took the full front of the attack. After a few seconds, the ball of fur transformed into a huge boulder and started rolling at incredible speeds towards Charmander. Charmander tried to dash to the hole it made but the boulder crashed into it first, sending the lizard Pokemon flying. KC jumped up and caught Charmander.

"Man, that was rough!" KC muttered. He looked at Charmander and returned it. "Good job, boy. You earned a good rest. Now it's your turn, Squirtle!"

The turtle Pokemon jumped up into the air, crying, "Squirtle squirt!"

"Darn it!" Blazer hissed. "A Water-type…"

Typhlosion looked at Blazer with a little fear. Water puts out fire, and none of Blazer's Pokemon have ever fainted before thanks to Blazer's careful avoidance of water. But this time, it was either get a fainted Pokemon or abandon the fight and leave Mist all alone against four trainers. That didn't sound like a bad idea from Blazer's perspective but the boss would surely punish him for desertion of Cerulean. Blazer would just have to tough it out this time and hope the Squirtle was weak enough to knock out…but from seeing how strong Charmander was, he really had his doubts on his 'easy knock out' strategy.

"You can back out anytime now, mister." KC said.

Blazer trembled in anger. "No way, little brat. I'm not giving up and I definitely won't lose. I'm going all out now, kid, so be ready to lose. I'm gonna show you why I'm known as 'Blazer the Inferno' in Cipher."

_Cipher…? Who are they?_ KC thought.

_Inside the Cerulean Gym…_

The icy mist from another Ice Beam cleared up, revealing a fully frozen Sparks and Staryu. Misty and Mark recalled their Pokemon and released Salamence and Gyarados. Cyndaquil and Sneasel had Alex almost completely unfrozen, just needing to release her legs from the ice. Mist watched all of this from his perch on Lapras' head, patiently waiting for them to strike again. _Where the heck is Blazer?_ He wondered. _That idiot was supposed to be here to back me up, not go beat some stranger and then abandon me. It shouldn't be taking this long to beat a mere intruder. There's no way they're anywhere near his level, not in heck. What's taking him so long?!_

A cry of triumph ruined his thoughts, making him look at the Snaggers. That fire mouse Pokemon had managed to save Alex and now he had three to deal with again. He hated admitting it but he really needed Blazer's assistance right now. That fire pyro could've prevented that girl's freedom while he dealt with Mark and Misty.

"Salamence, use Hyper Beam!" Mark yelled.

"Use Hydro Pump, Gyarados!" Misty ordered.

Salamence blasted the Hyper Beam at Lapras, but the Water-type dove underwater and avoided it. Gyarados dove in with it and unleashed its attack, nailing Lapras in the side. As it cried out, Mist used his psychic powers to throw Gyarados to the bottom of the pool and pin it there. Gyarados thrashed around and tried to escape, releasing Whirlpool in the process. Lapras was tossed out of the pool and Mist crashed into the ladder, losing concentration. Gyarados burst out of the pool, roaring.

"Misty, you better calm Gyarados down!" Mark called. "I can't catch Lapras if you faint it!"

"I know that!" Misty replied. Turning to Gyarados, she cried, "Gyarados, calm down!"

The Water-type turned to Misty and calm down slightly. Misty sighed in relief. Alex ran over to the Gym Leader and said, "Misty, what happened while I was frozen?"

"We nearly got beaten, that's what." Mark answered. "You've got to avoid those Ice Beams, Alex! You could've gotten killed just then."

"I know that, Mark! Quit treating me like a kid!" Alex growled.

"Guys, could you fight later?" Misty suggested. "Because Mist is getting back up and doesn't look too happy about being smashed into a ladder."

"Who would be?" Alex joked. 'I sure wasn't."

Mist stood up shakily and looked at Lapras. The Water-type was heavily injured and probably didn't have the energy to fight anymore. The white-haired teen glared at the three intruders, silently cursing them for such good luck. He lifted a Poke Ball and returned Lapras, smirking at the looks of shock on their faces. He pulled out a second Poke Ball and said, "It seems you've nearly beaten my Lapras but I have others on my team, if you haven't forgotten. Go, Kingdra!"

Kingdra burst free of its Poke Ball and dove into the pool, happy at being free again. It had glowing red eyes, a dark blue body with a pale red belly, a spiky purple fin on its back, and a long pointed snout. The dragon-like Pokemon resurfaced, squirting water from its snout.

"So he does have other Shadow Pokemon," Mark muttered. "Not just his Lapras."

"Of course I do." Mist replied coldly, a faint smirk on his lips. "What kind of Gym Leader would I be if I only had one Pokemon? No, you'll have to go through all four in order to beat me and gain my badge."

"Well, let's do this then!" Alex demanded. "Sneasel, use Shadow Claw!"

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

"Use Hyper Beam, Salamence!"

Gyarados and Salamence combined their attacks and launched them at the Shadow Kingdra. The Water-type made a snorting noise and dove underwater, effectively avoiding both attacks. What it didn't expect was Sneasel diving in after it and clinging unnoticed to the spiky wing-like fin on its back. Once it stopped moving, Sneasel proceeded to start slashing with everything he had. Kingdra immediately shot up to the surface, hoping that once it came to a stop from this speed, the annoyance on its back would fly clear off. Once it reached the surface, it halted and waited eagerly for Sneasel to be sent flying.

…Sneasel didn't fly off. He simply sank his claws into its back and held on, tearing the spiky purple fin in the process. Kingdra let loose a loud noise that sounded like a cross between a scream and a gurgle. It started jerking this way and that, trying to throw Sneasel off. The Dark/Ice-type was undeterred and clung to its opponent, refusing to fall. Alex started cheering her Pokemon on while Mist fumed violently in silence.

_How is it that I'm losing?!_ Mist mentally roared. _Only a week ago, this brat couldn't fight, let alone win, against me but now he's actually beating me! Even that stupid girl's giving me trouble. And that Gym Leader! How did they all get so much stronger since then? It doesn't make sense. This is impossible!_

Lapras' Poke Ball starting vibrating faintly. Mist reached down and picked it up, thinking, _Maybe I should give Lapras another go. A Super Potion is all she needs and she's ready to go again. This time, they'll definitely lose. They got lucky before but now I'm getting serious._

'_Weren't you serious before, Mist?_' a soft voice in his mind asked.

_Who are you?_ Mist demanded mentally.

'_A friend…_'

_Go away!_

'_Why?_'

_Because you're breaking my focus!_

'_You were never focused, Mist._' The strange voice taunted. '_Also, you're ally is in trouble right now._'

_Who? Blazer?_

'_Maybe…we'll talk again, Mist. Good luck…or not!_' The voice faded away and then disappeared altogether.

Mist clenched his fists. _Who was that and how do they know what's happening to Blazer? For all I know, the idiot's probably fine. But still, what if he is in trouble? Should I send Kingdra to help him?_ Mist, realizing what he was thinking, shook his head viciously. _What am I _thinking_?!! Blazer doesn't need any help! He's probably just playing with his prey before finishing them off. Yeah, that sounds right…right?_ Mist tried to reassure himself but he still had his doubts.

He threw out Lapras' Poke Ball and gave her a Super Potion, completely healing her. After that, he returned Kingdra and watched amusedly as Sneasel hit the floor when his opponent vanished from beneath him. Lapras turned and looked at him worriedly, but it didn't seem to be about the battle. "I'll send out Lapras again." Mist said. "Good luck trying to defeat her again."

"Why's he pulling out Lapras again?" Misty asked. "Doesn't he know that my Gyarados is far stronger that it?"

"Maybe he's got something planned that involves Lapras." Mark reasoned. "Knowing Mist, it's probably bad and could involve a lot of ice. Alex, keep an eye out for that other guy!"

"Right!" Alex cried, glancing at the door from the corner of her eye. That man had been gone for a good twenty minutes but he could pop back in any minute. "If he comes back, Sneasel and I will wipe the floor with him." She muttered to herself.

"Alright, let's do this!" Mark called. "Salamence, use Hyper Beam again!"

"Gyarados, Dragon Rage now!" Misty shouted.

The two Pokemon charged up their attacks, preparing to fight Lapras once again. Nobody noticed the dangerous glimmer in Mist's eyes as he raised a hand and said, "Lapras, use Shadow Avalanche!"

The gym started rumbling again. The three trainers looked around wildly, trying to locate the source of the rumbling. Misty looked up and screamed, "Avalanche!" The trio looked up to see a huge amount of snow crashed down on top of them, burying the entire gym in a flash.

_Cerulean City Police Station…_

"But Officer Jenny, I'm telling the truth! Those goons are using some creepy Pokemon and I want you to find out what's up with them!"

"I'm sorry, Luffy, but there's nothing I can do." The blue-haired policewoman replied. "All information regarding those strange people is under lock and key of the Pokemon League…or what's left of it."

"What's that mean?" Luffy demanded. "Did those goons have something to do with the gyms being taken over?"

"Possibly but I really don't know." Jenny admitted. "Look, I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Luffy huffed and turned on his heel, leaving the police station. Officer Jenny followed him, apologizing. A flash of black caught Luffy's attention. Just as he was about to investigate, the ground started shaking violently. "What the…?! Earthquake?!"

"I don't know, Luffy!" Jenny cried. "Find your brother and get back to your house. I'll go check it out!" She hopped onto her motorcycle and headed for the outskirts of the city, searching for the source of the earthquake.

Luffy watched her leave before he turned and ran towards Cerulean Gym. "It sounded like it came from there!" he said to himself. "That battle must be getting really intense. Could Mist have caused that earthquake?" The same flash of black caught his attention. It was skirting along the edge of the buildings, blending in with the shadows. It took a moment for the 17 year old to recognize it. _Darkrai?!_

_Outside of Cerulean Gym…_

The ground was torn up and some blood speckled the dirt here and there. The two combatants were standing on either side of their battlefield, panting and motivated to keep on fighting. KC was gasping for breath while clutching his left arm where Blaziken had slashed him with its claws. Blazer's sunglasses were slightly cracked and blood ran slowly down his face from a small cut above his right eyebrow. The Cipher Gym Leader's jeans were torn even more at the knees and he had some blood running from a wound on his right knee, making him wobble slightly from where he stood.

"You're pretty good, kid," Blazer complimented. "But I'm better."

"Yeah, you're good." KC agreed. "But you haven't even seen half of the real power I have on my team."

"Well then," Blazer chuckled. "Show me what you've got, little boy."

Blazer's Blaziken raised its fists, flames erupting from its wrists as it prepared to fight once again. It had very little wounds, mostly scratches, but the only serious wound it had was a large slash on its chest from the fully healed Charmander's Metal Claw attack. The larger and stronger Pokemon easily beat it before moving on to defeat his Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Blaziken was currently fighting Squirtle and knew the Water-type wouldn't be around for much longer.

KC's Squirtle was better off with only a few scratches and a large cut across one hand. The only bad thing was it was low on HP and KC had no more Potions or Super Potions to heal it with. He'd used the last one on his Charmander to inflict some heavy damage before going down. Squirtle was prepared to withdraw into its shell if an attack should come.

Suddenly, the ground started rumbling viciously. Blazer instantly toppled over from his injured knee giving out on him, while KC managed to remain standing. "Wh-what's going on?!" KC shouted at Blazer. "Are you doing this?"

"No, I'm not!" Blazer shot back. "Mist must be using Shadow Avalanche. Looks like I'll have to dig my way back in since he sealed himself in there with ice and snow. Though, those trainers are probably buried anyway. Might as well go home now that we've won."

KC started trembling in anger. "Those guys aren't beaten!" he yelled. "Mark and Alex promised they would beat him and get Misty's gym back! And Misty traveled all the way to Johto with Ash Ketchum and faced tons of dangers! A little avalanche isn't enough to beat those guys, I know it!"

Blazer fell silent and then whistled. "Geez, you have a lot of faith in those guys. Too bad it's wasted on brats like them." He growled. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"

"Blaziken!" the Fire/Fighting type barked, jumping forward. Its leg was engulfed in flames and it charged forward, leaping over Squirtle and coming right for KC! The Shadow Pokemon closed in and lashed out, intending on hitting KC in the chest.

The boy just stood there, frozen in fear. Then when the kick was about to hit him, he shouted, "Darkrai! Luffy!" The attack closed in, and KC feared it was too late.

Suddenly, Blaziken was thrown backwards. KC opened his eyes to see two Fighting-type Pokemon standing in front of him. One started cracking its gloved knuckles while the other stretched its springy legs. A hand landed on KC's shoulder and a familiar voice said, "KC, why do always come crying to me about everything?"

"Luffy!" The raven-haired 14 year old cried, turning around to confront his older brother. "And I wasn't crying!"

"Close enough, KC." Luffy replied. He then turned and faced Blazer. "What's the big idea, attacking KC like that? Pokemon fight Pokemon, not humans. What were you thinking?!"

"That may be the rules as you know it," Blazer paused to spit out some blood. "But the rules have changed, at least with us at Cipher."

"Cipher? What's that?" Luffy asked. "Is that where all those goons are coming from?"

"Maybe…" Blazer smirked. "Now, who might you be? I'm Blazer of Cipher."

"Luffy, KC's older brother and fellow Pokemon trainer."

"Ooh! Looks like I get to fight someone new!" Blazer laughed. "I hope you're stronger than your pathetic brother."

"You can count on that!"

"Luffy, Mark and the others are trapped in the gym!" KC explained quickly. "Mist caused an avalanche, which caused an earthquake, which caused them to get trapped in the gym! We got to get them out!"

"KC, you try and dig them out. I'll deal with him." Luffy ordered.

KC nodded and ran to the gym doors. After yanking them opened, snow fell on top of him. "Aah! It's cold!" he shrieked, jumping away from the cold white stuff. After waiting a few seconds to get used to the drastic change in temperature, he plunged his gloved hands into the snow and started to dig. _Don't worry, guys. I'm coming!_

**Next Chapter:** Trapped

"This isn't good. At this rate, we'll freeze before the battle is through!" Alex complained.

"We have to risk it, Alex." Mark countered. "Once we beat him, we can get out of here!"

"Then let's do it, fast!" Misty said. "I'm getting goose bumps from this cold!"

Mist sighed. How these guys would beat Cipher if they couldn't even handle a bit of cold weather was beyond him. He nodded to Lapras, still annoyed by that ashamed look on her face. "Lapras, use Shadow Ice Beam! Let's finish this battle!"

Lapras nodded and let out a half-hearted cry. A blast of black ice shot out at the trio. The three trainers scattered, trying to avoid the ice at all costs. One slip-up here and it was all over. Mist started laughing.

Suddenly Alex screamed, "Mist, look out!"

"Look out for what?" he spat, and then looked up. His gray eyes widened in pure horror at what was coming at him. Lapras had turned completely around…and was now unleashing her attack upon him!

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Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next chapter will be made with a little assistance from Mist-Sensei, my all-time best friend on this site alongside anonymous. KCSonic113, I hope your characters look right to you. If you have any other info you wish to tell me, go ahead and do so. DigiDrew, Will will make another appearance real soon too.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the story! I enjoy writing it as much as you enjoy reading it! Now it's time I got to bed. It's nearly 1:00 am and I was supposed to be in bed long ago, but I stayed up to finish this. I'm grateful to all of my reviewers for supporting this story. Thanks to all! See you next time!


	17. Chapter 17: Trapped

Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews

Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews! I'm happy everyone loves my story so far! KCSonic113, I'm happy that your characters are alright to you. Mossnose, your character will pop up later on in the story, probably Saffron or Celadon. I hope that's okay with you. Anyways, this Cipher gym battle will be going on for part of the next chapter since there are two battles going on at once. I hope everyone enjoys part 2 of the battle against Mist! Onto the chapter!!

Chapter 17: Trapped

The icy fog cleared, revealing a snow-covered gym with three shivering trainers and a seriously ticked Cipher Gym Leader. Lapras shook the snow off of her head and yawned. Mist shook in silent fury at how long this fight was taking. Mark, Alex, and Misty were shivering and brushing the freezing snow off of their bodies as fast as possible to prevent them from becoming any colder than they already were. Gyarados roared in a rage that it was boxed in the gym, barely able to move without slipping a bit. Salamence blew a bit of fire at the snow, melting it and created plenty of steam to warm up its three human companions. And Sneasel started tapping the now frozen-solid water of the pool.

"God, it's f-f-f-f-freezing in here!" Alex complained, hugging her arms to her chest. "A T-shirt and shorts _so_ do not work in this kind of weather!"

"Of course they don't, Alex!" Mark growled. "Of course it's freezing! We're snowed in!"

"Save the fighting for later, guys!" Misty advised. "I've got a feeling it's going to get a lot colder in here as this fight goes on."

"Yeah, I know." Mark agreed. "Mist will probably do all he can to finish this battle fast. Keep your guards up, guys!"

"Why isn't _he_ cold?!" Alex demanded, pointing to the unmoving form of the Gym Leader.

Misty shrugged. "Maybe he's used to the cold?"

"I wouldn't doubt that, Misty." Mark said, nodding.

Meanwhile, Mist was seething in anger. This was taking _way_ longer than he had predicted and he was getting very annoyed. And very few things annoyed him, except whenever Dart was around. Blazer should've finished his fight long ago but he was still missing. Where was he?! The psychic closed his eyes and focused on locating Blazer. He sensed him just outside of the gym, along with two others. The two brats from before? And there was another, a strange but powerful Pokemon. What was it?

The sound of Gyarados' roar shattered his concentration. He glared angrily at the creature, slowly feeling his temper rise. This was becoming too much to bear for him. He had had everything planned out to the tiniest detail but these three Pokemon trainers were shredding that plan like paper through a paper-shredder. If this kept up, he would surely end up destroying the gym.

He glanced at his Lapras, only to do a double-take. The Water/Ice-type had an odd look on her face, almost as if she were ashamed of something. "Lapras, what's the matter with you?" he demanded.

The Pokemon simply shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts. The white-haired teen threw Kingdra back out to assist Lapras, just in case they inflicted even more heavy damage on her. The Dragon-type noticed Lapras' look but ignored it, not caring much for her and more focused on the fight. It was simply here to guard her from more damaging attacks, nothing more, nothing less. Just guard and fight.

"This isn't good. At this rate, we'll freeze before the battle is through!" Alex complained.

"We have to risk it, Alex." Mark countered. "Once we beat him, we can get out of here!"

"Then let's do it, fast!" Misty said. "I'm getting goose bumps from this cold!"

Mist sighed. How these guys would beat Cipher if they couldn't even handle a bit of cold weather was beyond him. He nodded to Lapras, still annoyed by that ashamed look on her face. "Lapras, use Shadow Ice Beam! Let's finish this battle!"

Lapras nodded and let out a half-hearted cry. A blast of black ice shot out at the trio. The three trainers scattered, trying to avoid the ice at all costs. One slip-up here and it was all over. Mist started laughing.

Suddenly Alex screamed, "Mist, look out!"

"Look out for what?" he spat, and then looked up. His gray eyes widened in pure horror at what was coming at him. Lapras had turned completely around…and was now unleashing her attack upon him!

_What?! Lapras, what are you doing?_ Mist thought, dodging the attacks. _Why is she turning on me? This hasn't happened before with a trainer, so why now? What's gotten into her?_

Mist rolled, dodging another chunk of ice when he happened to look up. Lapras shattered a chunk of ice and sent it flying towards Mist. The Gym Leader froze and tried to think. For the first time in a long time, Mist felt something he hoped to never feel again…fear. The ice chunk closed in, and Mist couldn't even move.

_Outside of Cerulean Gym…_

KC kept digging long past when his fingers went numb. The snow was speckled with blood from his left arm and he could hear the sounds of fighting behind him. The 14 year old stopped digging for a moment to catch his breath and hope his fingers unfroze. _Come on! Just a little more and I'll be halfway through! If only I had a Super Potion. Charmander could melt this easily. Too bad I'm all out._ He thought. _I hope Mark and the others are okay. Oh, please don't be dead._

Behind him, the battle between Blazer and Luffy was intensifying hugely. Punches and kicks were being dealt and wounds inflicted. After another clash, the three Pokemon jumped away from one another, landing on their respective sides of the battlefield. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan had a few scratches but nothing too deep. Blaziken had blood running down from a large cut across its right eye and a few scratches. It ignored to deep slash on its chest from KC's Charmander. It couldn't have cared less about the wound.

Blazer grinned. This was getting fun. "Well, you've proven your worth, Luffy!" the redhead congratulated. "Too bad, though. You've got plenty of talent. You could've been a great Cipher agent."

"Sorry, I don't go with criminals." Luffy declined. "That's my dad's job, not mine."

"Your dad?" Blazer muttered, filing this bit of info away for future use. "Well, too bad then. Blaziken, use Shadow Fire Punch!"

"Hitmonchan, use Mega Punch! Hitmonlee, follow up with Rolling Kick!" Luffy cried.

The two Fighting-type Pokemon dashed forward to meet their rushing opponent. Blaziken threw a punch but was blocked by Hitmonchan's punch. The punching Pokemon gripped the clawed hand tightly, preventing escape. Hitmonlee jumped and landed hands-first on Hitmonchan's shoulders, kicking viciously. Blaziken ducked and grabbed one springy leg with its free hand, throwing the kicking Pokemon over its shoulder. Hitmonlee hit the dirt hard and slowly got back up.

Blaziken then turned and punched Hitmonchan clear in the chest, throwing it to the ground. Hitmonlee jumped and landed beside its companion. Then the kicking Pokemon sprung forward and kicked Blaziken in the stomach, sending the Fire/Fighting-type skidding backwards. The bird-like Pokemon was shaking in anger.

"Blaziken, use Shadow Overheat!" Blazer yelled.

Blaziken opened its mouth and let out a blast of searing flames. Hitmonlee jumped away but Hitmonchan was hit square in the back, crashing into the ground again. The Fire-type raced forward and pulled back a flaming fist, intending on ending its opponent. Just as it was about to strike, it heard Luffy shout and suddenly another Pokemon was in front of it.

"Machamp, block it!" Luffy shouted.

"Maaaaaachamp!!" it roared. Raising two of its four arms, it caught the attack and grabbed Blaziken's other fist to prevent further attacks. Then it used its other pair of arms to punch Blaziken's now-vulnerable chest and stomach.

"No! Blaziken!" Blazer shouted. There was no way this could be happening. There was just no way!

Blaziken let out a roar of agony as its body was repeated pummeled by the bigger and stronger Fighting-type Pokemon. Blood streamed from its wounds and it started spitting blood. The Fire/Fighting-type even went so far as to start trying to kick the Machamp in its desperate attempt to free itself. After a bit, Machamp stopped punching it and watched as Blaziken slumped in exhaustion.

"Machamp, use Seismic Toss!" Luffy ordered, feeling a bit sorry for the Blaziken.

The four-armed Pokemon easily picked up the battered Blaziken and raised it high over its head. Then it threw Blaziken to the ground at Blazer's feet. After crashing, Blaziken started whimper softly. Blazer simply watched, shocked at his strongest Pokemon's utter defeat. He angrily glared at the 17 year old through his cracked sunglasses.

"Good job, you three!" Luffy congratulated his Fighting-types. Then he turned to Blazer, a cold look on his face. "You should take better care of your Pokemon, you know. If you'd stepped in and ended the match, my Machamp wouldn't have had to do that to it. You're pretty irresponsible. Even my brother cares for Pokemon better than you."

Blazer growled, face red with pent-up anger. "You think this is over. It's not even halfway through, Luffy! Get ready for some serious heat, man!" He picked up his Shadow Camerupt's Poke Ball, ready to release it.

KC looked up and noticed something. Suddenly scared, he cried, "Big brother! Look!" He pointed to the wounded Blaziken.

"What?" the older boy asked, looking. His eyes widened and he muttered, "No way. It's going way beyond its limits. Way too beyond."

Blaziken was dragging itself to its feet. Blood pooled on the ground beneath it and it breathed heavily. Blazer smirked. "I told you, Luffy. This isn't over. Not even close."

_On the island that houses Cipher, main laboratory…_

"Professor Pine, sir!" a scientist cried. "Agent 69 in entering critical mode, sir!"

"Critical? What's happened?" Pine demanded. "What's causing it?"

"It seems one of his Shadow Pokemon, the Lapras, has gone rogue." The scientist explained, pointing to a screen that showed the events. "If this keeps up, Agent 69 could enter maximum breakdown."

"Maximum break—no, this can't happen! Not again!" Prof. Pine argued, smashing his fist into one of the metallic walls. "We can't allow him to enter maximum breakdown again! The last time it happened, Agent 69 nearly died!"

"What do we do then, sir?" the scientist asked.

"Send out the Shadow Orbs from the gym's ceiling!" Pine ordered. "Those will stop the Lapras and, hopefully, calm Agent 69 down to a normal degree."

"Yes sir!"

"Professor!" called another scientist. "It seems that Agent 73 is no longer answering our commands. Agent 73 is in critical condition but still continues to fight against a mysterious young boy named Luffy. Shall I call Agent 73 off the battle?"

"No, not yet!" the professor ordered. He rubbed his temples in frustration. "This is all becoming to much. At this rate, Agent 69 could go rogue himself and Agent 73 could likely be hospitalized. Have any of you gotten a reading from this Luffy person? Who is he?"

"Here's the data I've collected about him, sir! Name is Luffy, age 17, Pokemon trainer, family consists of little brother and father, can call upon—"

"Stop right there!" Pine commanded. "What happened to the mother?"

"It seems she died a few years ago." The scientist clarified. "As for the father, it seems he has faint ties to Cipher but cut them long ago."

"Get me information on the father." He ordered. "You there, try to get Agent 73 to answer our calls. You, release the Shadow Orbs and stabilize Agent 69's condition. We cannot lose either of them at any cost, do you hear me? At _any_ cost!"

Peering in through the doorway, Rosalean listened fearfully to their reports. _Mist, please be okay,_ she begged sadly. She watched the scientists scuttling around the gigantic lab, trying to keep tabs on all the agents. She jumped when she heard her codename called. "Yes, what is it?" she asked.

A scientist with short black hair and dark brown eyes hidden by large glasses looked up at her curiously. It was the same scientist who recaptured Shadow Mew the previous day. "Agent 42, is something bothering you?" he asked calmly. "You rarely ever come down to the labs anymore."

"No, it's just…" Rosalean couldn't find the proper words to speak with the scientist. "I'm worried about Mist."

"Agent 69?" the raven-haired scientist asked. "There's nothing to worry about, Agent 42. We'll fix up this problem and everything will be a-okay. So don't worry, okay?"

Rosalean nodded and looked up at the screen showing the battle. _Good luck, Mist. Please come back safe…both of you._ She thought, remembering Blazer. She missed them.

Prof. Pine looked up from his clipboard on Shadow Mew's brainwave readings to see one of his scientists talking to Rosalean. He couldn't help but smile softly. _I knew she would come around again. I just hope this won't become a problem in the future._ He thought, reminding himself of her relationships to Agents 69 and 73. He sighed and looked at the screen. _This'll be a long day, won't it?_

_Cerulean Gym…_

Mist raised his hand and used his psychic powers to throw the chunk away from him, crashing it into a wall. The Cipher gym Leader panted for breath, fear coursing through his veins. _Lapras,_ he thought. _What's gotten into you?_

His three opponents just stood there in surprise. "Mark, what's going on?" Alex asked, looking at the green-haired Snagger. "Why's she attacking him? Aren't Shadow Pokemon supposed to be loyal to their trainers?"

"Maybe she's rebelling." Misty suggested. "Mist probably did something she didn't like. Even the strongest Pokemon are capable of turning on their trainers for a certain reason. But what did he do?"

"I don't know but at least she's helping us, right?" Mark commented, glancing at Misty for an answer.

"Maybe," Misty said. "But she still could turn on us, so be careful."

"Got it, Misty!" Alex replied, smiling. Then she heard a strange noise. "Hey, guys! Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Mark asked.

"It sounds like digging." Misty observed.

Alex dashed to the door and listened. "It's coming from right here! Hey, who's out there?"

"Alex?" answered a voice. "Is that you? It's me, KC!"

"KC?!" Alex cried. "Mark, Misty, it's KC! He's trying to dig through the door!"

"Well, help him!" Mark replied. "Misty and I'll keep an eye on Mist and Lapras! Help KC dig his way in!"

"Got it!" Alex said, turning and digging into the freezing snow. "Okay, KC, I'm helping you dig." She muttered.

While the duo dug through the snow to make an exit, Lapras was clashing with Kingdra now. Kingdra was having trouble since there was no water around but was blasting out attacks nonetheless. Lapras unleashed more Shadow Ice Beams, trying to hit both Kingdra and Mist. The Ice/Water-type had no idea why she was doing this but a voice in her head that told her what her master was doing was wrong. The Snaggers were far from her mind now.

Mist was shaking viciously now. His temper and powers were rising out of his control, and he could do nothing about it. The entire battle had gotten out of hand. Blazer was gone, he had at least four opponents, his Lapras had turned on him, these three trainers were beating him... he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Bits of the gym's roof were cracking and falling in, bit by bit. If this continued, he would surely lose one way or another by either these Snaggers or his own rage.

Suddenly, small holes in the ceiling opened up. At least thirty small black orbs fell out and levitated into the air before flying directly at Mist and Lapras. Mist could see the shadowy black aura and recognized these strange devices. _Shadow Orbs!_ He remembered seeing them not long after Anna's death. They constantly followed him, monitoring his psychic powers and keeping it under control. He had grown used to the sight of them until recently, when they suddenly vanished for a year. Now they were back and he knew why.

The orbs surrounded Lapras and Mist, creating a strange ring of the black orbs surrounding them both. Black electricity suddenly started crackling along the surface of the orbs. Then the electricity shot out and shocked Lapras, making the Pokemon scream. The same happened to Mist, except he only fell to his knees. The electricity was draining his excess power, weakening him. It only lasted a mere three seconds but felt like an eternity.

When the orbs pulled away, they vanished into the ceiling again. Lapras crashed into the ground while Mist just sat there, trying to focus his power. No good. He'd have to rely on Kingdra now since Lapras was out. He pulled out a Poke Ball and returned her, feeling angry at himself for letting this get so far. At least now, the gym wasn't falling apart anymore.

_Anna, I'm sorry._ Mist thought, sadly looking at Lapras' Poke Ball before replacing it on his belt. He looked up and saw the three trainers staring at him, trying to figure out what just happened. He smirked.

"What the heck just happened?" Misty asked.

"I have no idea." Mark replied. "And…what were those?"

"I don't know." Misty answered.

Alex looked up from her digging. "What was that?"

"I don't know but I think I'm almost—aaaah!" The wall of snow blocking the doorway fell away, revealing a shocked KC. The raven-haired boy promptly fell out of the opening and landed face-first into Alex's lap. The blue-haired 13 year old blushed and shoved him off with a cry.

"Geez, what were you thinking?!" Alex shouted. "Falling into my lap like that, huh?"

"Owww!" KC groaned, rubbing his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just fell, that's all." He looked up and realized something. _She's…kinda cute when she's mad._ Then he realized she had been talking to him.

"Umm, hello?" Alex asked. "Mind not looking at me like that? It's…kinda creepy."

KC looked away quickly, saying, "I'm sorry!"

Mist looked up and growled. Now he had four to deal with. As if three weren't enough! He cleared his through and said, "Well now, it seems like I have another one to deal with. Sorry about the interruption, now how about we get back to the real battle?"

"Gladly!" Mark replied. "Salamence, use Hyper Beam!"

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower!" Misty cried (Yes, Misty's Gyarados can use Flamethrower. I've seen the episode it was shown in).

Salamence and Gyarados both attacked as one, combining their attacks into a huge blast of fire. Kingdra jumped away and seemed to be laughing at them as the attack made a huge hole in the frozen pool's surface, revealing unfrozen water. Kingdra dove into the water and vanished beneath the surface, leaving its opponents guessing about its next move. Mist started laughing. _Clever, Kingdra. Truly clever!_ Mist thought.

"Now where is it?" Misty muttered, glancing around the icy surface in the hopes of seeing a shadow or something. Anything to give off its location.

"Maybe we should melt the rest of the ice." Mark suggested. "It'll be easier to see it in water."

KC and Alex ran up to them. "Hey guys, I got KC out!" Alex announced. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We'll probably melt the ice so we can see where Kingdra went." Misty explained. "We can't see it through the ice so we'll melt the ice and look for it in the water."

"That's a good plan," KC said. "But Kingdra could attack while you're melting the ice."

"KC has a point." Misty agreed. "We'll have to think of something else."

"My Rotom could shock the water with a Thundershock and drive it out of the water." KC replied. "Maybe your Pikachu could too, Mark!"

"Good idea, KC!" Mark complimented. After releasing Sparks, he gave it a Super Potion to heal it. The Electric-type jumped to its feet and was ready to fight once more. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Okay!" KC replied, throwing out Rotom. "Rotom, use Thundershock!"

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt!" Mark commanded.

Both Electric-type Pokemon perched on the edge of the hole and blasted electricity into the water. Within moments, the ice closest to Mist exploded and Kingdra flew through the air. Its body had black scorch marks and it was screeching as it crashed into the icy ground at Mist's feet. Mark grabbed a Snag Ball but Mist returned it first.

"Darn!" Mark hissed. "I almost had it!"

"Well, too bad, Snagger." Mist teased, wagging a finger at him. "I still have two more for you to go through and you'll probably only catch one of them. Go, Shadow Vaporeon!"

The Water-type pounced out of its Poke Ball and landed on the ground lightly, tail twitching in anticipation for battle. It had a dark blue body, black back ridges, purple facial fins, and a red fin encircling its neck. A pair of glowing red eyes watched the four trainers menacingly, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Sharp claws tapped the ice and fangs glittered from its open mouth.

"You go too, Shadow Horsea!" Mist ordered, throwing a second Poke Ball.

The smaller seahorse-like Pokemon popped out and landed in the large hole in the ice created by Kingdra. Horsea had a purple body, pale gray belly and wing-like fins, and glowing red eyes that held plenty of mischief. It dove into the water with a happy, "Horsea horsea!" and vanished beneath the ice.

"Now what?" KC asked. "That Horsea could be anywhere. Should we try the electric trick again?"

"No." Mark disagreed. "I say we should deal with the Vaporeon first. It might try to attack us if we go after Horsea first."

"How about two of us deal with Vaporeon while the other two try to catch Horsea?" Misty suggested. "Then both problems are solved."

"Great idea!" Alex cried. "I say we go with Misty's plan!"

"But who will keep an eye on Mist?" Mark demanded.

"We all can, Mark." KC reassured. "How about Alex and Misty try to grab Horsea while the two of us tackle Vaporeon? Does that sound good?"

"…" Mark fell silent. He answered moments later with, "Yeah, that sounds good. We're counting on you, girls!"

"More like we're counting on you to keep Vaporeon away!" Misty replied, smiling. She turned to Alex. "Let's get to it, Alex."

"Right away, Misty!" Alex said. Both headed for the hole in the ice and started planning a way to get Horsea out.

As for KC and Mark, both of them started fighting right away. After returning Salamence, the duo had their plan ready. Sparks and Rotom stood (or floated, in Rotom's case) side by side on the field, waiting for Vaporeon's first move. It wasn't a long wait. "Vaporeon, use Shadow Hydro Pump!" Mist shouted.

The water dog launched forward and shot a huge blast of water at the two Electric-types. Both dodged and sent out their counter-attacks. Sparks charged ad rammed into Vaporeon while Rotom shot bolts of electricity at it. Vaporeon dodged the lightning bolts and rammed into Rotom, throwing the Electric/Ghost-type back a few feet. But it easily bounced back once it recovered.

Misty and Alex crouched on the edge of the hole in the ice, where Shadow Horsea had vanished only moments before. "Misty, how are we gonna catch it, or even get it out?" Alex asked.

"I don't really know, Alex." Misty admitted. "We might have to wait until it—Aaaahh!"

Both girls screamed in surprise as Horsea burst out of the hole, trumpeting happily. Misty instantly reached out and caught it, pulling it close to her to prevent escape. Alex started cheering and yelling for Mark to catch it. Then Horsea spat ink in Alex's face. The black ink dripped down her face and hair as she watched it in shock. The blue-haired girl could hear KC faintly snickering at the sight. She growled angrily.

"Sneasel, use Shadow Claw!" Alex commanded, shaking in anger and embarrassment.

The Dark/Ice-type raised a clawed hand and bonked Horsea on the head. Mark grabbed a Poke-Ball and tossed it. Mist copied him, hoping to recapture his Pokemon. Mark's Poke Ball caught it while Mist's returned to him, empty. Mark grinned. _One down, three to go!_

Mist growled, angry at losing a Pokemon. _This shouldn't be happening. I won't end up like Dart when he came back. No, not ever! Blazer, where in the world are you?!_ He took a deep breath to calm down, and then said, "Congratulations on catching one of my Pokemon. But I guarantee it won't happen a second time! Vaporeon, use Shadow Chill on those girls!"

Vaporeon opened its mouth and shot out a single icicle. Once the icicle hit the ground, a huge blast of black ice was shot at Misty and Alex. Misty released Staryu and dove into the water while Alex stood up and ran from it. The ice was barely even a foot behind her when KC tackled her around the waist and threw her to the ground, dodging the attack. KC's right sleeve was shredded by the ice, but the duo was safe. Mist stomped his foot viciously, annoyed that the girl escaped him.

Misty popped out of the water and dragged herself onto the ice, returning Staryu in the process. Mark and Misty both went to check on their friends. "Alex, KC, are you two okay?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." KC groaned, hauling himself up to his feet and up off of Alex.

Alex sat up and rubbed her head. "Yeah, I'm okay, Mark. Thanks for the save, KC."

"No problem!" KC grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Guys, we still have Mist to deal with." Misty reminded. "The sooner we get rid of him, the sooner I get my gym back and you guys can head to the next city."

"Yeah, I know." Mark replied, helping Alex stand up. "Let's finish this as quickly as we can."

The four agreed and turned to Mist, ready for whatever else he'd throw at them. The white-haired gym leader simply smirked and raised a hand, preparing for his next move.

_Outside of Cerulean Gym…_

Luffy watched in fear and surprise as the Blaziken staggered to its feet. Then 17 year olds three Fighting-types were just as shocked as he was. In Blaziken's condition, it shouldn't even be able to move, let alone stand up. "No way," was all Luffy could say.

The red-haired Cipher Gym Leader smirked. "I told you, Luffy. It's not over yet." He pulled out a Hyper Potion and healed his wounded Pokemon. The birdman Pokemon stood up straight and bellowed, ready to fight despite its wounds. "Blaziken, use Shadow Fire Punch!"

"Hitmonchan, use Mega Punch!" Luffy shouted.

The two Pokemon charged at one another and attacked. As the two attacks collided, Blaziken kicked Hitmonchan in the stomach and threw it at Hitmonlee. The two Pokemon crashed into Machamp, who stayed standing despite the extra weight of two Pokemon on its shoulders. After setting them down, Machamp raised an arm and blocked Blaziken's kick. The four-armed Pokemon tossed Blaziken away from it, more intent on protecting its comrades than fighting a weak opponent.

Blaziken skidded to a stop, glaring at Machamp. Blazer smiled and said, "Blaziken, use Shadow Overheat!"

The birdman Pokemon opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of super-heated fire. Machamp shoved its two comrades to the ground before ducking, avoiding the attack entirely. Then it realized the mistake it had just made. Luffy's eyes widened in fear as the attack was hurled directly at him. _What's he thinking?!_ Luffy thought, but didn't make any move to avoid the attack. He knew it wouldn't hit him anyway.

"Aren't you gonna move, Luffy, or are you just too scared to move?!" Blazer taunted, grinning maniacally. "Well, say goodbye!"

Just as the attack was about to hit him, a black and white blur appeared in front of him and slashed its claws through the attack. As the attack disappeared, the blur focused out and took a solid form. It was a large black ghost-like Pokemon with a small black head. A white substance erupted from its head, covering one of its bright blue eyes, and it had a red growth around its neck. It had skinny arms and long black tatters hanging from its shoulders. It had an hourglass figure and appeared to be wearing an old, ripped cloak. It didn't have any sort of legs visible on it.

"D-D-D-Darkrai…" Blazer squeaked. _What's a legendary doing here, and with this boy no less?! Whatever! If I can catch it, then the boss will have to acknowledge my worth to Cipher and maybe I'll become an Elite Four member… or even Pokemon Champion! Okay, just catch it and I win!_

Darkrai just floated there, eyes narrowed at its companion's attacker. It raised a single clawed hand and a ball of darkness appeared there. It tossed the attack at the fearful Blaziken, crashing it into the side of the gym and knocking it out. Blazer just stood there, gaping at the immense power of the Dark-type legendary Pokemon. Luffy grinned, predicting that he had just won the battle.

Blazer's communicator, attached to his belt, suddenly crackled to life. "Agent 73… return to… immediately needed… Agent 69… dangerous opponents… abandon mission… boss' orders…hurry…" Then it died again.

Then redhead glared at Luffy before returning Blaziken and slowly backing off. "This isn't over, Luffy." He vowed coldly. "I'll be back to finish our little battle later. See ya." Then he turned on his heel and vanished.

Luffy just stood there, trying to figure out just how the older man had vanished, when he heard a cry of pain from the gym. The 17 year old faced the gym and raced towards the now-open doors. Darkrai vanished, waiting to be called upon once again by the brothers. The cry was familiar to Luffy. _KC…_

_Cerulean Gym…_

Shadow Vaporeon jumped away just in time to avoid a swipe from Sneasel. The Dark/Ice-type hissed, raising a claw threateningly. KC was leaning against Misty, clutching a slash mark on his right side with his wounded left arm. Mist smirked, glad he had succeeded at doing some damage to his fourth opponent. Mark jumped to his feet and ordered Sparks to attack Vaporeon. The electric mouse launched a Thunderbolt at it, only to have it dodged and got rammed into a wall.

The Water-type landed lightly on the edge of the ice, a triumphant look on its face. Sparks dragged himself away from the cracked wall and limped to Mark's side, looking on the verge of collapse. Alex gave Mark a desperate look.

"How can we beat him?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"The same way we always do: by fighting it out until they run out of Pokemon or back out." Mark answered, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "This is his last one unless he brings Kingdra back out."

"What about Lapras?" Misty asked.

"After what happened with those orbs," Mark panted. "I don't think he'll risk it."

"Yeah, well—" KC started, but was interrupted by a loud shout.

"KC!!" It was Luffy. He charged through the doors and, upon seeing the state his younger brother was in, rounded to Mark. "What happened to KC?!"

"He got hurt by that Vaporeon." Misty explained. "These guys are willing to attack humans and Pokemon alike in order to win these battles."

"Big brother!" KC cried. "What happened to that red-haired guy with the yellow streak? Did you beat him?"

_Red-haired guy?_ Mist thought. Then it dawned on him what that meant. _Blazer! So this is what took him so long! He was facing two opponents at once. Looks like he has a pretty good excuse for abandoning me like this…_

"No, I didn't beat him." Luffy admitted. "He kinda took off on his own after getting a transmission ordering him to leave."

"What?!" Mist hissed under his breath. _It must be those scientists. I shut those radios off for a reason and they still try to use it! I didn't want any distractions or orders from them! But it looks like they took Blazer away, so they'll probably get me next once they switch on my radio._

"So that just leaves us with Mist." Misty said, glancing at the white-haired gym leader. "I hope we win this one."

"Don't worry, Misty!" Alex replied, smiling. "We'll win this! That, I promise."

"Okay." Misty agreed, nodding.

Mark turned to Luffy and said, "So, are you joining in?"

"Yeah!" Luffy answered. "KC, you better stay out of this one."

"Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous and you're already hurt enough today!" Luffy growled. "What will dad say when he sees what happened to you? He'll blame me, like always!"

_I've had enough of this,_ Mist thought, clenching his fists. _I'll finish them all before that radio transmission comes in. But first, I'll get rid of their leader…you, Mark, shall perish first!_ "Vaporeon, use Shadow Rush!" A simple nod was all it took for Vaporeon to understand which target to hit.

"Guys, get ready!" Mark barked. "Here it comes!"

_Too bad, Mark._ Mist thought. _You were a good opponent. Too bad you'll have to die in order for me to win._

Vaporeon charged forward a lightning-speed, appearing as a large ball of black energy. Its red eyes locked onto its target as it attacked. The Water-type jumped clear over Luffy and chomped down on Mark's shoulder, dragging him to the ground in a heartbeat. Then it raced back to the frozen pool and dove into the hole, pulling the green-haired Snagger with it. It dove quickly down to the bottom and, once there, it sank its claws into the concrete flooring and anchored itself there. Mark struggled but could not break free.

"Mark!" cried Alex as she watched him being dragged underwater.

Misty ran to the edge of the hole, intending on diving in after him, when Kingdra burst out of the hole and smashed the Cerulean Gym Leader into a nearby wall. The Pokemon floated there and snorted, annoyed that it was on guard duty a second time. Misty dragged herself to her feet with a little help from KC.

"No way! They're trying to drown him!" Luffy shouted, realizing Mist's true intentions. "We gotta get past Kingdra and save him!"

"But how?" KC asked. "It's too powerful for any of our Pokemon, and Mark is on the bottom of the pool. Even if we did get past it, how would we get down there? None of us can dive that deep except Misty, and she's too hurt!"

"Hurt or not, I'll dive down there and free Mark if you guys can hold Kingdra off for me." Misty argued. "Can you three do that for me?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, Misty, we can do that. Just get Mark out of there and avoid that Vaporeon, 'kay?"

"Got it, Luffy!" Misty agreed.

Mist smirked. _You had your chance to shine. But now it's Cipher's turn. So say goodbye!_

"Croagunk, use Poison Jab!" Luffy shouted.

"Rotom, use Thundershock!" KC commanded.

"Sneasel, use Avalanche and follow up with Ice Beam!" Alex cried.

The three Pokemon all dashed at Kingdra, determined to keep it occupied long enough for Misty to slip into the water unnoticed. The larger Pokemon snorted, bored at their useless efforts against it. Croagunk jabbed it in the sides and chest, trying to poison it. Rotom shocked it, making it dive and reappear moments later, barely wounded. Sneasel crashed snow down on it and then froze it solid in ice. After a few seconds, Mist shattered the ice and freed his Pokemon once more. Kingdra started growling, showing that it was ticked off at getting attacked by little Pokemon who had no idea what true power was. A single Shadow Rush sent all three flying.

Under the sheet of ice covering the pool, Vaporeon sank its teeth deeper into Mark's shoulder to anchor its prey further to prevent escape. Mark struggled slightly, though escape seemed impossible at this point. _Darn it…_ he thought. _I can't breathe…or get free! What's Mist thinking? Does he really want to kill me? If so… why?_ He felt his chest constricting from lack of air. _Hurry up, guys! Get me out of here!_

Mist's smirk widened as he watched the three trainers try desperately to keep Kingdra at bay while making an opening for Misty. "Sorry, but I can't let you do that." He chuckled, lifting a hand.

A blue glow surrounded Misty. With a single flick of his wrist, he watched her collide into Luffy and Alex in amusement. He glanced at the pool's icy surface and smiled as he watched bubbles gathering under its surface. "It won't be long now, Mark." He muttered softly. "Once you're gone, all resistance will fade and Cipher will rule. Just a little bit longer…"

A loud crash was heard. Mist's head snapped up as he watched Kingdra being smashed into the concrete floor by an Infernape. Then his gray eyes caught Misty slinking towards the hole in the ice. _Oh, no you don't!_ He thought, stomping a foot onto the concrete and shattering a huge chunk from the inside of the pool. Using his psychic powers, he positioned the large concrete boulder above where Mark was trapped and released it. Sending a telepathic message to Vaporeon, he stepped back and waited for the fun to end.

Misty dove into the hole just in time to see Vaporeon shoot past her and dive out of the hole. The orange-haired gym leader looked down and saw the huge concrete boulder land heavily on Mark's right leg, trapping him underwater. She dove down and tried to tug him free, but was unsuccessful. His breath wasn't going to hold out much longer.

Misty went back up to the surface. "Guys!" she shouted. "Mark's trapped under a boulder at the bottom. I can't get him out!"

"Oh no!" Luffy groaned. "What're we gonna do, Misty?! How do we get him out?"

"I don't know." She admitted. Then her face lit up as she turned to Alex. "Alex, do you have a Pokemon that could help my Gyarados move that boulder?"

Alex thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I do! Okay, let's get Mark out of there!"

Mark opened his eyes slightly. His chest felt like it was about to explode from lack of air. He couldn't get his leg free and he was pretty sure this was the end for him. _I'm sorry, everyone,_ he thought. _Looks like I couldn't keep my promise after all. Maybe Alex could do better than me… What's that?_

He focused his blurry vision on the outlines of two serpentine creatures swimming down towards him. One wrapped its huge body around the boulder and lifted it a little, freeing his leg. The other wrapped its long body around his waist and pulled him free. The huge boulder crashed back into its original place, minus Mark's trapped leg. The two Pokemon swam quickly back to the surface with their charge.

Once on land, Mark sucked in precious air and shook his head to rid the water out of his ears. Then he took the time to look up and see his saviors. One was Misty's Gyarados while the other was a Milotic. Alex ran up and hugged it, calling it 'Milo'. After catching his breath, he smiled and said, "Thanks, guys."

"No problem, Mark! We couldn't just leave you down there!" Luffy joked.

"Are you okay, Mark?" Misty asked. "When I couldn't get you free, I was afraid you'd drown."

"Yeah!" Alex added. "Her Gyarados could free your leg but it couldn't pull you out, too. So I had Milo pull you out while Gyarados lifted the boulder. So, we both saved you!"

KC chuckled. "You were rescued by two girls!"

Alex glared at him. "Don't forget, I rescued you too! I helped you dig through the snow wall and saved your head from cracking on the cement."

KC fell silent. Luffy laughed and put him in a headlock. "Never underestimate women, little brother!" he warned. "You haven't seen true wrath until you've seen an angry woman, KC. And that's the truth!"

"How would you know that, Luffy?" Mark asked, coughing up some water.

"I got my girlfriend mad at me once." He replied sheepishly. "She dumped her soda on me and smashed my face into my potatoes. Then she broke up with me the next day."

"What did you do to make her mad?" Misty asked.

"…" Luffy gulped, obviously nervous. "I said her cooking was bad…"

Alex glared. "That's one of the worst things you can say to a girl! You ought to be ashamed!"

"I was… for a week!" Luffy laughed again. "I never said that since."

"Good!" Misty and Alex both said.

Mist twitched. _…They've forgotten that I'm still here, haven't they? I'll make them remember me. They may have saved him but I will win this fight. I have to!_ He cleared his throat, catching their attention once more. "Good job on freeing your friend." He said with forced politeness. "But I believe this battle with be coming to a close shortly."

"Yeah," Mark growled. "For you!"

"We're totally gonna win this! Right, Mark?" Alex asked, turning to the older boy.

"Yeah, we are." He said, pulling out Espeon's Poke Ball. "Espeon, come on out!" he cried.

The red Psychic-type popped out and turned to her owner. _What is it, Mark?_ She asked softly. _Do you need my assistance with this fight?_

"Yeah, we do." Mark answered. "Can you keep Vaporeon busy for us? We'll finish the Kingdra and beat Mist once and for all."

Espeon nodded. _Of course._ She glared at Vaporeon and said, _Prepare to battle!_

Vaporeon growled, eyes narrowing at the sight of its fellow Eevee evolution.

"Let's finish this, everyone!" Mark shouted. The battle was close to ending, and Mark hoped to win this. He had to… for his friends, the gym leaders, the Pokemon League, maybe even the world. He had to win, no matter what.

**Next Chapter:** The Power of One

"Agent 69… return immediately… boss' orders… mission aborted…" the communication transmission died once more.

Mist growled and glared at his opponents. The end was near and he wouldn't stand for defeat. He glanced at his palm and sighed. _I tried so hard but in the end, I still lost. But still, why did Lapras betray me? Was it Anna?_ He looked up at his opponents. _Maybe…_

Vaporeon ran forward and tried to hit Espeon. The Psychic-type jumped away. "Espeon, use Shadow Psychic!" Mark shouted.

Espeon charged at the Water-type, the jewel on her forehead flashing. Suddenly, her entire body changed. Her fur turned light purple and her eyes turned violet. The jewel on her forehead turned red again. Espeon felt a familiar rush of power and unleashed a blast of purple energy from the jewel, screaming, _Confusion!_

"What?!" Mist cried. _It turned back to normal?!_

--

Hey, I hope everyone liked it! Yes, I'm finally getting around to the purification process thing. No, Espeon isn't fully purified yet… she's only at Stage 1 of the Heart Gauge, where she loses only one of her Shadow moves. I'm glad I finally got around to that! I hope you guys liked the preview too!

Anyways, thanks to everyone for the constant support! I'll write the next chapter ASAP! Also, happy April Fools Day everyone! See you next time!


	18. Chapter 18: The Power of One

Hey guys

Hey guys! I'm glad everyone liked the chapter! Yonoka Takai, I'll have Leena pop up a few times before actually joining the group. Okay everyone, this chapter marks the end of the 'Snaggers vs. Mist of Cipher' battle. I hope you all enjoy the end of this three chapter (more like two and a fifth chapter) battle! Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 18: The Power of One

Mist sighed. This was getting way beyond his control now. It was inevitable that the Snaggers would lose… at least, Mist hoped so. He would not be humiliated by a bunch of children and a washed-out Gym Leader who couldn't even protect her own gym properly! His gaze landed on Mark once more. _I failed to kill you once again, Mark,_ he thought. _But I will never allow you to win. I will not believe that Cipher has lied to me for these past few years since Anna's death. What motive would they have for doing that?_

Mark looked at his four companions: Misty, Alex, Luffy, and KC. They were determined to win this fight and get Misty's gym back. "Ready, guys?" the green-haired boy asked, flipping his ponytail over his shoulder.

"We're ready!" Alex reported, making a mock-salute.

Luffy couldn't help laughing. "I'm good to go, too… once I stop laughing!"

KC just stared at his injured left arm. "I'm okay, Mark."

"Let's do this!" Misty cried. "_I_ have a gym to restore back to normal and I can't do that with him here!"

Mark nodded. Turning to face Mist, he shouted, "Mist, get ready to lose!"

_Don't think I'll go easy on you, Vaporeon._ Espeon growled, her tail whipping around in anger. _Mark, let's do this!_

"Okay." Mark said. "Let's get him, guys!"

"Fools," Mist growled. "Vaporeon, use Shadow Rush!"

The Vaporeon charged, increasing its speed with each step. Espeon jumped away and landed on the ice, slipping slightly. Vaporeon attacked again but after missing, it slid along the ice instead of stopping immediately. It sank its claws into the ice to halt the movement and shakily got to its feet. Glaring at Espeon, it hissed a threat.

"Good job, Espeon!" Mark complimented. "Get ready to attack again, girl!"

_Right!_ Espeon replied, getting into a fighting stance.

Mist smirked. "It won't work, you kno—?!"

The radio transmitter attached to his belt crackled to life. "Agent 69… return to base… no refusals… come immediately… bad situation taking…"

"What's that?" KC asked Luffy.

"It looks like a mini radio," the older boy suggested. "Or a radio transmitter of some sort. Looks like the kind that dad tinkered around with downstairs, now that I think about it."

Mist glared at the bit of machinery. _Darn it! And I'm so close, too! Why did it have to activate now, of all times?! Darn those scientists!_

"Agent 69… return immediately… boss' orders… mission aborted…" the communication transmission died once more.

Mist growled and glared at his opponents. The end was near and he wouldn't stand for defeat. He glanced at his palm and sighed. _I tried so hard but in the end, I still lost. But still, why did Lapras betray me? Was it Anna?_ He looked up at his opponents. _Maybe…_

Vaporeon ran forward and tried to hit Espeon. The Psychic-type jumped away. "Espeon, use Shadow Psychic!" Mark shouted.

Espeon charged at the Water-type, the jewel on her forehead flashing. Suddenly, her entire body changed. Her fur turned light purple and her eyes turned violet. The jewel on her forehead turned red again. Espeon felt a familiar rush of power and unleashed a blast of purple energy from the jewel, screaming, _Confusion!_

"What?!" Mist cried. _It turned back to normal?!_

The blast of purple energy slammed into Vaporeon, crashing it into the wall behind Mist. The white-haired gym leader stared in shock, the slight breeze from his Pokemon's crash ruffling his bangs into his face. The Snaggers also stared in shock. "What just happened?" Misty asked, pointing shakily at the panting Espeon.

"I…" Mark struggled to find words. "I think she got purified… at least a little bit."

Espeon sighed softly, her fur and jewel turning back to red and black. Her eyes turned to a glowing red and that rush of power departed, leaving her to collapse on the ground. _That was… amazing,_ Espeon said, smiling.

Mist turned around and returned Vaporeon, remaining silent the entire time. He walked along the edge of the pool until he reached Mark, and then quietly held out his hand. Mark looked baffled. Mist snorted. _Looks like he's forgotten…_ "The badge, Mark." He said firmly. "You beat me, so you get it. Take it and I will leave."

Mark nodded, reaching out to accept the badge. Once he obtained it, he looked it over. The badge was a blood red teardrop with a single dot of black within it. He glanced up and saw Mist heading out the door. "Hey, Mist!" he called.

The white-haired psychic looked over his shoulder and said, "What?"

"I'm not lying about Anna." He said sternly. "Cipher really did kill her. I have plenty of proof."

Mist sighed and closed his eyes. The chest from his temporary bedroom appeared in his arms. "I need no proof, Snagger." He replied, walking down the stairs. "I'll find out for myself… by asking our boss." _If he doesn't kill me first for my defeat…_

The five trainers watched the Cipher agent walk onto the grass and teleport away. After a bit, Misty clapped her hands. "Well, I got my gym back!" she cried. "Now all I need to do is get some repairs done, shovel the snow and ice out, and my gym will be back to normal!"

"Yeah, I know." KC said. "Glad to be able to help!"

"I hope those guys don't get your gym again, Misty!" Luffy added, waving.

Misty smiled at Mark and Alex. "Thank you, guys! If it wasn't for you, my gym would probably be an ice castle by now… or palace. Whichever one Mist prefers!"

"Probably neither!" Alex laughed.

Mark nodded and turned, walking down the street to the Pokemon Center. "See you later, Misty!" he called. The four kids soon vanished from Misty's sight.

KC and Luffy turned to Mark. "So, where are you staying?" Luffy asked.

"At the Pokemon Center." He answered.

KC grinned. "How about you stay at our place?" he suggested. "Dad's home, so he can cook us a good meal! Oh, what's Cipher?"

"Sure, we'll come ov—Cipher?!" Alex cried, turning to KC with wide eyes.

"How do you know about Cipher?" Mark questioned.

KC shuddered slightly at the cold look Mark was giving him. "That guy, Blazer, said that he was from Cipher. I just wanted to know what it was!"

"Hey, what's your problem?" Luffy demanded. "What's got your shorts in a bind, Mark? He just asked a question!"

Mark looked away, seething. _Dang! This isn't good…_ "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" KC whined. "Is Cipher causing all of this weird stuff to happen?"

"We can't tell you." Alex replied, looking away as well. "It's too complicated and you'll just get hurt if you get involved."

"What about you, then?!" KC cried. "You're involved in all of this Cipher stuff! Don't you get hurt, too?"

"Yeah, but that's… different." Alex muttered.

"Look, just forget we said anything!" Mark snapped. "It's our business and our business alone! We don't want anyone else getting involved or getting hurt!"

"…" Luffy looked down. "Is that what catching those Pokemon from other trainers is all about, then? Did Cipher do something to those Pokemon that gives you a reason to catch them? At least answer me that."

Mark looked up and sighed. "Yeah, that's it." He said.

The four walked in silence towards Luffy and KC's home on the outskirts of Cerulean City. Their house was a small, two-floor building with a shingled roof and a few windows. The door had a small window on it and dark blue drapes covered most of the windows. The small group walked onto the porch and opened the door, stepping into the cozy little house. A man around 48 sat at the kitchen table, running a hand through his messy black hair. Tired brown eyes peered out from behind a pair of reading glasses, reflecting the text of a large book he was reading. The slamming of the front door caught his attention.

"KC, Luffy," he said, standing up. "You've both come home safely. Who are your friends?"

"Dad!" KC chirped. "This is Mark and Alex! They just beat Mist from some organization called Cipher! They won, Dad!"

Everything became quiet. Luffy and KC watched their father, who suddenly stiffened at the name 'Cipher'. The older boy stepped forward and touched his father's shoulder. "Dad?" Luffy asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" he answered. "I'm quite fine, Luffy."

Mark just stared at the man for a bit. _I wonder what's wrong. He froze when KC mentioned Cipher. Could he know who they are?_

"Mark!" Alex barked, snapping the older boy out of his thoughts. "KC and Luffy's dad was asking us what we wanted for dinner! What do you want?"

"Oh." Mark mumbled. "Dunno, just anything good."

"'Kay!" Luffy replied. "Dinner will be done in twenty minutes, guys!" Then the older boy vanished into the kitchen.

Alex and Mark both looked at each other in surprise. KC grinned. "What? You didn't know my brother cooks?" Both nodded. "Of course he does! After mom died, big brother became the cook in the family. After dad lost his job, Luffy had to support both of us."

"Why doesn't your dad do something?" Alex asked. "Can't he get a new job?"

KC shook his head. "Nope. I don't know why but the company he worked at got shut down and dad got really depressed or something. He's also gotten a bit paranoid if he goes into town alone, so we go with him. I don't really know why, though."

"Paranoid?" Mark muttered. _Could that company have been Cipher? Is he afraid they'll come back for him? But why?_ "KC, do you know which company your father worked for?"

"No, but I know he did something involving the advancement of Pokemon science and history." KC answered, shrugging. "I don't know much about it. He rarely ever talked about it except telling us when he got a promotion and such… the usual business talk. How come?"

Before Mark could answer, Luffy called, "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you can stop right there."

"Why?" Alex demanded. "Your dad could be a spy from Cipher for all we know!"

The older man stiffened again. _Cipher?!_ He thought, glancing at the duo. _How do they know about Cipher? And why are they telling my boys? Are they trying to drag them into that mess?_ He turned and left the room, heading for his room.

"Dad?" KC asked, receiving no answer from the parent. He glared at Mark. "Look what you did now! Dad will probably not come out of his room for dinner."

"Oh yeah he will, KC." Luffy disagreed from the stove, stirring some spaghetti. "I'm cooking spaghetti, hamburgers, and potato chips. You can grab an apple from the fridge if you want one."

"Yummy! That sounds great, Luffy!" Alex cried. "It's too bad you can't come with us. We really could use someone who can actually cook." She stared at mark from the corner of her eye.

The older boy noticed the look. "Hey, it's not my fault that I can't cook!" he argued. "You try living on your own for most of your life! Then you'll know why I can't do a lot of things!"

"Dinner will be done in five minutes, guys!" Luffy called. "KC, can you go get dad?"

"Sure!" the 14 year old said, turning and walking down the hall to fetch his father.

_Luffy and KC's house, dad's room…_

The raven-haired man sat on the bed, running a hand through his hair. "Those children…" he muttered. "Could they be the ones who've been causing Cipher so much trouble? Well, it serves them right for trying to control the world. But what do my sons have to do with this?"

He shifted and plucked a framed photo from his nightstand. Looking at it through the fading light pouring dimly through his window, he looked upon the five faces in the picture. One was the man himself with an arm around a purple-haired guy wearing glasses. A blue-haired woman stood beside the purple-haired man, petting a beautiful Persian with a pink bow around its neck. A dark-skinned man stood just behind the trio, arms crossed over his chest and black eyes narrowed despite the cheerful grin on his face. Standing just beside him was a man with white hair speckled with black and dark blue eyes, and he was just floating there beside a young Starly.

He sighed softly. He traced his fingers over the photo, stopping once his fingers reached the white-haired man. He shivered at a strange but familiar presence just behind him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Why Darien, my old friend, have you forgotten me already?" a voice taunted. "You may have escaped Cipher but you will never escape from me, Darien."

Luffy and KC's father, Darien, slowly turned around to face the purple-haired Cipher scientist and former best friend. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Traitorous Gerald Pine? What do you want?" he demanded.

Prof. Pine smiled and peered at the photo. "It seems you still cling to old memories." He observed. "Why bother when you have the future to look forward to? Though, your future was shattered when you left us."

"I had a better future with Vivian, Luffy and KC than with you nutcases!" Darien spat. "You took Vivian from me but I won't allow you to take my sons from me."

"…" Pine looked out the window at the dying sunlight. "Your sons assisted in the downfall of one of our best agents, Darien. Just as a precaution, you best be rid of your sons before Cipher discovers you once again. Luffy and KC will simply be a liability to you now."

Darien gritted his teeth. "No."

Pine continued nonetheless. "Your oldest son defeated another agent with the assistance of the legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh, Darkrai. Did you have any idea your son could call upon it?"

Darien paled. Yes, he did know that because he had begged for its assistance in exchange for enduring a year's worth of nightmares induced by the Dark-type Pokemon. He had prayed that Cipher would never discover the relationship between his family and the legendary. "No." he lied.

"Hmmm…" Pine looked at another picture resting on the nightstand. A woman with long black hair was holding a little boy, probably Luffy, while a shadowy figure floated just behind her like a deadly guardian angel. "Your sons are being considered as fellow Snaggers, I hope you know. They'll be placed in the same danger category as the two children you've just invited into your home."

That was the last straw. "Why are you telling me this, Gerald?" he demanded. "Whose side are you truly on, anyways? You, Cain (the dark-skinned guy), and Selene (girl with Persian) have already betrayed me and Gin (white-haired guy) is nowhere to be found! Why are you doing this to me?!"

Pine fell silent upon hearing footsteps outside. "Be warned, Darien," he hissed. "Once Cipher catches you, you'll never go free again. Your sons will simply be your downfall." Then he vanished, leaving the fuming parent alone in his room.

KC's voice broke the silence, carrying on the message that dinner was ready. Darien quietly stood up and picked up a piece of a shredded black cloak from his desk. _Darkrai…_

_Luffy and KC's house, dining room…_

"Dad's coming!" KC cried, jumping into his seat at the table. "And don't you dare mention Cipher around dad, 'kay Mark?"

"Deal…" Mark mumbled, sitting in his chair. Then he jumped up to his feet after feeling a minor shock to his bottom. Glaring down at the chair, he spotted a hand buzzer lying there. Lifting it up, he growled, "Very funny, KC."

KC held in his laughter. "That was for what you did to dad."

"What did I do?!"

"You mentioned Ci—"

"Hi, dad!" Luffy instantly interrupted, seeing the older man enter the room. "I made you some spaghetti. Do you need some coffee with that?"

Darien looked up and remembered Pine's words. _Will my sons truly be my downfall? I've been in hiding for ten years and it could be ruined by my own sons. What'll I do now?_ "No coffee, Luffy." He replied tiredly. "Just get me some tea, please."

"I'm right on it, dad." Luffy said, heading towards the kitchen. "I'll be back in a minute, guys!"

Once he was gone, Darien turned to KC. "Why don't you go help your brother, KC?" he suggested.

"How come? He's fine on his own." KC asked.

"I need to speak with your friends alone, KC." Darien said.

"Oh, okay!" KC stood up and vanished into the kitchen. Once inside, he closed the door and pressed his ear to it, hoping to hear what they said. Luffy sighed and copied him after pouring the tea.

Mark and Alex both felt uneasy around the possible-former Cipher scientist. Darien shook his head. "Shadow Pokemon." He said calmly.

"W-what?" Mark asked, deciding to play dumb.

Darien sighed and said, "Shadow Pokemon. What do you know of them and Cipher? Are you the new Snaggers?"

"Why should we tell you?" Alex yelled.

Mark shushed her and replied. "Shadow Pokemon are Pokemon with the doors to their hearts closed. Cipher created them to supposedly take over the world. Alex and I are indeed Snaggers but what do you mean by new?"

"Oh dear," Darien muttered. "A long time ago, there was a pair of Snaggers who originally defeated both Cipher and Team Snagem in a distant land called Orre. Five years later, another young man defeated them and purified the Shadow Lugia that could supposedly never be purified. Ten years after that, a young girl tried to stop Cipher but failed and was murdered by one of her own allies."

The duo looked at one another. "Anna," they said together.

"You've heard of her?"

"Yeah, we have." Mark informed the adult. "One of her best friends has joined Cipher because they convinced him that she died in a car accident. They recently erased her files but someone called the Shadow Master sent a copy to us."

"Oh my," Darien said softly. "I had heard that the poor fellow had been involved with Cipher… is that the same boy who took over Misty's gym?"

"Yeah, that's him!" Alex chirped. "His name's Mist."

"Well, that changes a few things." Darien replied. "But I will tell you later. I think we may as well let the boys back in or KC will get suspicious and try to eavesdrop… if he hasn't already. Boys, you can come in now!"

The door slammed open and KC shouted, "Dad, you worked for Cipher?! Why didn't you tell us?"

Luffy strode past his little brother and stopped beside his father. "Is that why you're so paranoid, dad? Is Cipher gonna come back and get you?"

"I hope not, Luffy." Darien reassured. "Unfortunately, they have a new way of tracking me down now."

"How?" KC cried.

_Through you two,_ he thought sadly. _They'll track me down through my own two sons._ He ate his food silently and then went back to his room, saying, "Good night, kids!" over his shoulder. Once the door closed, the dining room erupted into chatter between the four teens.

After a while, the group headed upstairs to Luffy and KC's bedrooms. Mark volunteered to stay in Luffy's room with the two brothers while Alex got KC's room all to herself. KC wasn't very happy but left the room anyway. The group changed into their pajamas for bed. Luffy wore a gray undershirt and white shorts. KC wore an oversized red T-shirt that reached his knees (he said that it belonged to his mom before she died). Mark wore a black T-shirt and blue shorts. And Alex wore a long blue nightgown.

After crawling into his sleeping bag, Mark pulled out his PDA and checked on how close to Stage 1 Purification all of his Shadow Pokemon were. Some were pretty close while others had a long way to go. After putting the PDA away, he pulled out the black PokeDex and e-mailed Prof. Oak about Espeon's partial purification. After that, he rolled over and tried to get some sleep.

After a few minutes, KC whispered, "Mark, what's it like to fight Shadow Pokemon? Is it like fighting wild Pokemon?"

"Well, it's kind of…" Mark thought for a moment before answering. "Well, sometimes it's like fighting wild Pokemon. Other times, it can be very dangerous to fight them. How come?"

"…Is Cipher really that dangerous, Mark?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, they are." Mark muttered. "They've taken over the entire Kanto League and are probably trying to take over the other regions, too. And they're trying to capture all of the legendaries to turn them into Shadow Pokemon."

"But isn't that impossible?" KC asked.

"Supposedly, but it can be done." Mark replied. "Cipher will stop at nothing to catch them… nothing."

After a moment's silence, Luffy said, "We better get some sleep, guys. Night."

"Night!" KC whispered.

"Good night, guys." Mark muttered, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Once again, darkness clouded his dreams.

_On the island that houses Cipher, boss' chambers…_

"How could you have lost, Mist?!" the boss' voice boomed through the large, dark room. "I thought that you, of all my agents, would have been able to end this menace called the Snaggers once and for all. I even supplied you with a partner and you still lose!"

Mist sighed and stared at the floor. Indeed, how could he have failed? "I'm truly sorry, boss. I promise it will not happen ever again."

"Of course it won't, Mist." The boss replied from the shadows. "It won't because I won't give you a second chance! But the main thing I want to know is how in the world your Lapras suddenly turned against you in the middle of a battle!"

"I… I really don't know, boss." Mist admitted, voice heavy with shame. "Maybe she was confused or sick, boss. Probably didn't even know what she was doing, really."

"Enough of your excuses!" the boss bellowed. "Get out of my sight this instant. I allowed Dart to slip because he is less talented. But you are a fully trained psychic and Cipher agent. I expected better from you. Now get out!"

Mist sighed and left the room. While in the hallway, he encountered a snickering Dart. "I heard you got beaten by the Snaggers. You even failed to kill one of them. What happened to the high-and-mighty whitey now?"

"Whitey does not exist, sword boy!" Mist finally snapped. "I was outnumbered by four and my Lapras—" Mist silenced himself there. To even mention Lapras' betrayal would simply make Dart gloat about how at least when Onix had rebelled, it hadn't even been his own Pokemon. No, he would keep that a secret from him. "Just leave me alone, Dart. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today." Mist then continued down the hallway, leaving a confused blonde swordsman behind.

Mist kept walking long after he passed his bedroom. It felt like something was drawing him to a certain room. After a bit, he found himself in front of Poindexter's room. He opened the door and stepped in. As the brunette turned to face him, Mist said, "I need to speak with you, Poindexter. It regards Cipher… and their allegiances with Anna and me."

_Cerulean City…_

"So you guys are really leaving?" KC asked.

The four trainers stood on the edge of Cerulean City, close to the beginning of Route 24. Alex was already up on Nugget Bridge, the bridge that takes up most of Route 24. Mark stood on the steps while the brothers were on the ground. They could see a few people on the bridge, possibly Cipher goons. There had been rumors that this is where the goons had come from.

"Yeah, we have to leave." Mark replied. He brushed his ponytail over his shoulder again. "You guys should stay here in case more of those goons come back. We're counting on you to protect Cerulean while we help the other towns and cities against Cipher."

"Yeah, just don't mention Cipher to anyone but your dad." Alex added, putting a finger to her lips to show silence. "It was nice meeting you two!"

"Thanks for sticking around, guys." Luffy said. "I wish we could help you guys instead of just being a couple of guards."

"Yeah, I wish we could come with you!" KC complained.

"Well, it's too dangerous." Mark reminded. "Maybe we'll meet again one day."

"I hope so, Mark." Luffy agreed.

As the Snaggers started across the bridge, Darien walked over and stood beside his sons. "You're not going with them?"

"We asked but he said no." Luffy replied, looking at the ground. "He said we're better off guarding Cerulean than fighting real Cipher agents."

Darien sighed. _It's bad enough that Cipher is targeting me but if they really come to get me, they'll capture my sons too. Either way, I have to protect my sons… just as I promised Vivian._ He rested a hand on their shoulders. "Go with them."

"Wha—But dad, what about Cerulean?" KC asked. "What if those goons come back?"

"If they come back, I'll deal with them." The raven-haired man promised. "I may be an old man but I still have a few Pokemon. I'll protect Cerulean for you."

"But, dad…" Luffy started.

Darien looked up sadly. _I'm so sorry but this is the only way to protect you both._ "Cipher will come after you both. They consider you to be Snaggers, the likes of which your two friends are. It's better if you stick together, you Snaggers. I will not allow Cipher to capture my sons as they once had me. Now go!"

Luffy and KC stared in shock. _So dad was with Cipher, at least in the past…_ Luffy thought.

"Just go!" Darien urged. "You're better off with them than me. You're _safer_ with them."

_Flashback_

"…" Pine looked out the window at the dying sunlight. "Your sons assisted in the downfall of one of our best agents, Darien. Just as a precaution, you best be rid of your sons before Cipher discovers you once again. Luffy and KC will simply be a liability to you now."

_End flashback_

"But dad, you're no match for Cipher!" KC argued.

"I'm a seasoned trainer!" Darien retorted. "I think I can handle a few measly goons. Now go, before you lose them!"

"But dad!" Luffy shouted.

_Flashback_

"Be warned, Darien," Pine hissed. "Once Cipher catches you, you'll never go free again. Your sons will simply be your downfall."

_End flashback_

Darien growled and shoved his sons onto the bridge. "Please, just leave!" he cried. "I don't want Cipher to capture you! I promised Vivian to protect you and sending you away will do that for me!"

"Dad, you can't handle Cipher alone!" Luffy yelled.

"Well, neither can you! That's why you need to go with them!" Darien shouted. "It's the only way that you'll be safe from Cipher until its downfall, be it months or years from now."

"Dad…" KC whimpered.

Darien fell to his knees, crying. "Please, just go." He sobbed. "I'll never forgive myself if you got hurt or worse. Vivian would never forgive me!"

"Dad…" Luffy muttered, kneeling down and hugging his father. "It's okay, dad. If you want us to go, we'll go. Just promise us that you'll remain safe."

KC hugged his father, too. "Dad, we'll be okay. I promise that we'll bring down Cipher so they'll stop chasing you. Just stay safe."

"You too, boys." Darien sobbed as the boys released him and headed up the stairs of Nugget Bridge. _Pine, I hope you're happy. My sons are gone but I will defend Cerulean in their place. As long as they are safe, I shall never fall to the likes of you. Never!_ He looked up just in time to see his sons vanishing over the bridge. Darien smiled, tears streaming down his face. "Good luck…"

_Other side of Nugget Bridge…_

The two Snaggers stepped off of the bridge and grinned at the fleeing Cipher Peons. Still no more Shadow Pokemon but Mark's Umbreon finally reached Stage 1 Purification, gaining Pursuit. Alex smiled, skipping around in the long grass patch close to the bridge. "That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Mark said. "But still no more Shadow Pokemon. Maybe they're keeping them in the towns and cities now."

"Well, come on then!" Alex cried. "Onto Route 25! Hey, isn't that a dead end?"

"Maybe but if the goons are coming from here, there might be a Cipher base planted here." Mark explained. "Hey, wait a second. This leads to Bill's Sea Cottage!"

"Bill?" Alex asked. "The Pokemon Researcher?"

"Yeah, that Bill!" Mark answered, tearing down Route 25.

The duo came to a stop at a huge maze of trees. "We have to go through there?!" Alex cried. "That'll take forever!"

"Not with Salamence!" Mark growled, grabbing its Poke Ball. Just as he was about to release it, he heard two familiar voices.

"Hey, wait for us!"

"Yeah, we're coming, you guys!"

Alex twirled around and spotted them. "Mark, it's Luffy and KC!"

"They're following us?" Mark asked, putting Salamence's Poke Ball away. "What are you guys doing here? Go back to Cerulean!"

The two boys caught up to them and started explaining what happened. "Dad said he would guard Cerulean. Cipher thinks that we're Snaggers, too, so we're better off with you." Luffy explained.

"It must have been Mist's battle." Alex muttered. "They thought you were Snaggers, too! And now they're gonna come after all of us! Mark, now what do we do?"

"Please, can we come with?" KC begged. "We can help!"

"We're gonna help take down Cipher to help our father." Luffy said. "Even if we can't help you, we'll find another way to beat Cipher on our own."

"Huh?" Mark smirked. "You guys wouldn't last a minute against the real Cipher agents or the gym leaders. But if you're so eager to help, I guess we can't stop you. You can come and help us."

KC jumped up happily. "Alright! Cipher, here we come to kick your butt!" he laughed.

"We have to get through this maze first, KC." Alex reminded, pointing to the tree maze. "Let's go, guys."

They went straight for a bit and then went down. They turned right and then went up, and finally right again. When they were out of the maze, the group was in the middle of a flower filed close to a sea cottage. Two small ponds were nearby and they could see the ocean of Cerulean Cape. But those things didn't catch their attention as quickly as something else did. Standing in front of the cottage were two Cipher Peons and an injured Clefairy.

The two Cipher Peons noticed them and unleashed their Pokemon. One was a Rattata while the other was a Spearow. No Shadow Pokemon still. Mark unleashed Espeon and took the Cipher goons down in seconds. After they left, Alex picked up the Clefairy. "It's hurt, guys!" she called. "Maybe Bill can take care of it!"

Once the four teens were inside, Alex placed the Normal-type Pokemon on the floor and started shouting for Bill. "I'm right here, guys!" Bill called.

"Uh… where?" KC asked, looking for the researcher.

"I'm the Clefairy." Bill explained.

The four trainers looked at the Pokemon. "But how did you get turned into a Clefairy, Bill?" Luffy asked, lifting his hat slightly.

"I was conducting an experiment, but something went terribly wrong and I became a Clefairy." Bill explained calmly. "Maybe if I go through it again, I'll turn back to normal."

"It's worth a shot, Bill." Mark encouraged, picking up the Clefairy and placing it inside of a strange machine. After pressing a button on his computer, the door of the second machine opened and out came the real Bill. "It worked!" Mark cried.

"Thank you so much for saving me." Bill thanked. "As a reward, take this ticket for the S.S. Anne. I don't need it anyways, since I have too many experiments to do."

Mark took the ticket and placed it in his backpack's front pocket. "Thanks, Bill. Why were those goons after you, anyway?"

"They wanted me to help them close the doors to Pokemon's hearts." Bill replied. "Wait! Are you the boy from Pallet Town who's going around, beating Cipher agents? Are you Mark?"

"Yeah, I am." Mark said. "Did Prof. Oak tell all of the officials about me or something?"

"Well, yes." Bill replied. "But it's for your own safety. I see you have made friends on this journey."

"Yeah, I have." Mark commented. "Cipher considers all four of us to be Snaggers, so we're traveling together."

"So now there are four Snaggers." Bill muttered. "At least there isn't just one Snagger. Well, I think you should be going now. I have a guest coming in a while. Good luck to you all!"

"Thanks, Bill!" Alex cried as the four trainers left the Sea Cottage to head back to Cerulean.

Once they were gone, Bill turned and entered another room of his cottage. A pair of ice blue eyes silently watched him. "I did as you asked." Bill said, holding out a small tan envelope. "I still don't understand why you could give the ticket to them yourself."

The strange person smiled, stroking the black-striped orange fur of a large canine Pokemon. "Bill, you shouldn't make women do all the hard work, you know." The person, a girl, said. "You should be nice to me, Billy."

"It's Bill," he corrected. "I thought you were here to compete in the Kanto League again."

"Well, I can't do that if Cipher has control over my competition." She replied. "I'll help fight Cipher but don't expect me to get in too deep with them. I still hate what they did before in Orre."

"I understand you there." Bill muttered. "You should leave before they find you again. I managed to stop those people from getting in here but I can't shelter you forever. Where will you go now?"

The girl glanced outside thoughtfully. "Bill, I need one of those tickets for the S.S. Anne. I feel like going on a cruise."

Bill turned and left the room. "I'll get you one as soon as I can." He called.

Once he was gone, the girl smiled. "Let's get ready to go, boy." She said to her canine Pokemon. The Pokemon, identified as an Arcanine, let out a loud bark and stood up. As the girl hopped on its back, Bill handed her the ticket. In moments, the duo was gone.

Bill smiled and said, "Good luck to you, too."

_Route 5…_

The four trainers stopped in front of the gate leading to Saffron. The guard wasn't letting anyone through but Luffy knew another city they could get to. After going into a tiny house and going down a flight of stairs, they were in the Underground Tunnel. "Welcome to the Underground Tunnel, guys!" Luffy cried, his voice echoing through the tunnel. "This path leads straight to Vermillion City since we can't get to Saffron right now. Despite the cave-like lighting in here, there's no wild Pokemon to worry about. Those stairs on the other side lead to Route 6."

"Let's go!" KC said, running down the path towards the stairs. Alex raced after him, wanting to beat him in the race. Mark and Luffy just walked, keeping their younger companions in sight.

Once out of the tunnel, the group walked along the grass-bordered path towards Vermillion City. After passing a pond, the group spotted the city and ran towards it. Once out of the route, they headed to the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon and rest for the night. The sun was setting and turning the ocean a variety of bright colors.

Alex left the room they had rented and sat on the beach. She was soon joined by a familiar face. "Hey! About time you two got here!"

She looked up to see the familiar emerald-eyed brunette. "Hey, Will." She said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just hanging out and hoping to fight Mark again." Will replied. "He is my rival, after all."

Alex laughed. "Did you decide that on your own or are you serious?"

"I'm serious!" Will cried. "Nobody has ever beaten my Infernape before until he came around and beat it with that Mightyena!"

"Well, Mightyena is really strong." Alex explained. "But sometimes, she won't listen to Mark and just does as she wants to. That's why Mark lets her battle her own way. She'll disobey him if he tries to order her around."

"So, in other words, he can't control her." Will deadpanned.

"Yep, that's about right." Alex said. "Anyways, I better be getting back. See you later?"

"Sure, Alex." Will replied. "Tell Mark I want to battle him again."

"Okay. See you!" Alex cried, turning and running back to the Pokemon Center.

When she turned the corner close to the Poke Mart, she spotted a bare patch of land nearby. Sitting beside a tree nearby the bare patch was a teenager and a large Camerupt. The teenage boy had brown hair and eyes, glasses, and was wearing a gray T-shirt, jeans, and a navy blue fleece jacket. He was stroking the large Fire-type's fur, unaware of Alex's presence. Alex sighed and headed back to the Pokemon Center.

Upon entering the room, she noticed that Mark and KC were both asleep. Luffy was sitting on his top bunk, reading a book. After going into the bathroom to change into her nightgown, Alex climbed into her bottom bunk right below KC and closed her eyes.

Luffy peered at her before book-marking his place and crawling under the covers. After flicking the switch to turn off the light, he drifted to sleep. While the four trainers slept, Shadow Gengar quietly crept away to inform its master of the two new Snaggers. Hopefully, he wouldn't be any angrier than he was already.

_In a house just south of the Vermillion Poke Mart…_

The brown-haired boy that Alex saw earlier slowly snuck into the house. His parents would be angry knowing that he had been to the construction site… more so if they knew he was training his Pokemon. After creeping past the kitchen and up the stairs, he slipped into his bedroom and closed the door. After changing into a large blue T-shirt and shorts, he hopped into bed and stared at the ceiling.

His door opened and a young woman looked in. "Oh, Ryan, there you are." She said. "Your father had said that you weren't here, honey. But I knew you wouldn't sneak out at night, right?"

The boy, Ryan, nodded.

The woman sighed. "Honey, I would really love to hear you talking to me again. Won't you please say, 'Yes, mom.'?"

Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"Darling, why won't you talk to me?" the woman tried again.

"Don't want to." Ryan grumbled.

"Why not?"

Ryan stayed silent. He didn't like talking.

The woman sighed and gave up. "Good night, honey." No answer. She closed the door and headed for bed.

Once she was gone, Ryan rolled over and fell asleep. _Sorry, mom. I just don't feel like talking yet. Not now… maybe never._

**Next Chapter:** Eating With the Enemy

Mark kept re-reading the note over and over again. He didn't understand why a Cipher Gym Leader would ask this of an enemy. He read it again.

"Dear Snagger, I want to get to know you more before our battle. Meet me at the restaurant near the beach at 9:00 tonight. I'll be waiting. P.S. Don't tell your friends about this note or you will suffer. Mimzy"

_Why would she want to eat with me?_ Mark thought. _Aren't we supposed to be enemies? This could be a trap, or it could be my chance to find out more about Cipher._

The green-haired Snagger got up and left the room. "Only one way to find out." He muttered. "I'll have to go meet her. Maybe then, I can find out more about Cipher… and the Shadow Master."

--

I have to say that this is the fastest update I'll probably ever do. This was only possible because we got to miss two full days of school due to vicious snowstorms. And today is my little brother's birthday. After this chapter, Mist won't pop up as often until near the Cipher elite Four. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

What does Mist want with Poindexter? Who was the girl Bill was talking to and how does she know Cipher? Why does Ryan hate talking? Why is Ryan so secretive about his late night training? And why does Mimzy want to eat dinner with Mark? These (or at least most of these) will be answered on the next chapter! See you next time!


	19. Chapter 19: Eating with the Enemy

Hey guys, I hope you liked the last chapter

Hey guys, I hope you liked the last chapter! This one has a slight twist on Mimzy's side and it reveals a bit more on Cipher, the Shadow Legendaries Project, and the boss. Steelion, your character Ryan has now appeared. DigiDrew, Will has reappeared and a battle will ensue. That's right, everyone, this will be a long chapter filled with battles, new info, friends, and foes. Plus, the Shadow Master reappears after a long disappearance but who is he, anyway? All of these will mostly be answered now. Onto the chapter!!

Chapter 19: Eating With the Enemy

Mark woke up to the smell of breakfast that morning. Luffy had woken up earlier and started cooking for the group. KC and Alex remained asleep in their bunks, unaware of breakfast. Sparks hopped onto the table and nibbled on some toast. Mark's toast, to be exact. Luffy was looking out the window, watching the ocean crash into the beach. Mark noticed something off about Luffy.

"Luffy, is something wrong?" the green-haired Snagger asked. His fingers unconsciously wrapped around the necklace given to him by Ho-Oh and Lugia when he started this journey. "You seem a little sad or something."

Luffy sighed and continued to watch the beach. "I'm just worried about dad, that's all." He admitted. "We just lost mom two years ago. I couldn't stand to know that dad might leave, too. KC didn't understand what happened at first with mom. I don't want to see KC cry like that ever again."

"…Luffy?" Mark asked. "Is there another reason why you want to stop Cipher? Your dad can't be the only reason, right?"

Luffy glanced at KC for a moment. "I think Cipher may have been the ones to kill mom, Mark."

"What? Didn't she die of an illness or something?" Mark reasoned.

Luffy shrugged. "Like I said, I think they may have. But I'm gonna find out, no matter what it takes."

"Yeah, well—Hey, KC, up already?" Mark said.

The 14 year old boy walked into the kitchen and sat down, stealing a piece of his older brother's bacon. As he ate it, KC glanced out the window towards the bare patch on the northeast section of Vermillion. An odd brunette boy was there with his Camerupt. _I wonder who he is._

"Hey, you know what?" Luffy questioned. "This place is a popular port for ships. Maybe we could hop on the S.S. Anne while we're here. It only sails around the world once a year."

"Maybe," Mark muttered. "But we have to beat the Cipher Gym Leader here first."

"Okay, then when do we get her?" Luffy asked.

"First we have to find her." Mark reminded. "She might not be waiting in the gym like the other two were. She could be anywhere in Vermillion."

"Then let's look for her!" KC complained. "Staying in this place all day won't bring her to us, right? Let's find her before she finds us."

"Let's wake Alex first and then we'll go searching for the Gym Leader." Luffy said, getting up from the table to wake up the blue-haired 13 year old.

"Can you guys take care of Alex?" Mark asked. "I have to head to the lobby to meet someone."

"Uh, sure." KC agreed. "Where will we meet?"

"Meet me at the docks in front of the S.S. Anne." Mark explained. "I want to look around on the ship before we look for that Cipher Gym Leader."

"Okay, we'll meet you there!" Luffy called from the beds.

"Well, see you guys later." Mark grabbed his backpack and allowed Sparks to jump on his shoulder. Once he left the bedrooms, he headed down to the lobby to meet the person he was looking for... if he was even still here.

Once he was in the lobby, he spotted who he was looking for. The former Vermillion gym Leader, 'Lightning American' Lt. Surge, was standing just outside of the doors of the Pokemon Center. Once the green-haired Snagger stepped outside, the taller man turned to him. "So you finally got here, Mark?" Surge taunted.

"Glad to see that you're not calling me a baby." Mark observed. "So, who beat you?"

"A little blonde girl with a creepy Pikachu," Surge replied. "She got around all of my traps and beat my Raichu with three hits."

"That's a bummer." Mark mumbled. "Do you know where she is?"

"She hung around _my_ gym for a while this morning," Surge explained. "But then she suddenly vanished. I don't know where she is right now. That Pikachu of hers beat my Raichu with pure power, unlike when you guys use speed against me. It was weird seeing Raichu get beat by some un-evolved Pokemon."

"Well, not everyone immediately evolves their Pokemon." Mark said. "Some of us like our un-evolved Pokemon better this way." He started patting Spark's head to prove his point.

"Whatever," Surge grumbled. "So, when do we attack her?"

"When we find her, Surge." Mark replied. "We don't know where she is right now."

"Well, she's gotta be somewhere in Vermillion." Surge barked.

"Yeah, well—?!" Mark cut himself off when a strange boy with short light purple hair stood in front of him, holding out a letter. "What's this?"

"A letter from the Vermillion Gym Leader, Mimzy." The boy said. Then he turned and vanished, leaving two baffled Pokemon trainers.

"Well, what does it say?" Surge asked, looking at the letter. Its envelope was jet black with little yellow lightning bolts decorating it. "I wonder what that kid wants."

"I'll read it later... alone." Mark specified, much to Surge's displeasure. "That Cipher Gym Leader, Mimzy as she was called, probably doesn't want anyone to read it but me. Better safe than sorry, Surge."

Lt. Surge crossed his arms and grunted. "Fine but if something bad happens, don't expect me to stand by and let it happen. My Pokemon saved me in the army and they'll save me now against Cipher."

"Uh, sure," Mark muttered. _Great, here he goes again. Talking about his times at war. Not like I've heard this once before._

"Hey Mark, let's get your friends and start searching for her!" Surge growled. "I heard you brought a little baby girl with you, right?"

"Yes but I found two more friends in Cerulean who have connections with Cipher." Mark explained. "They're traveling with me now to help beat Cipher. And I have a feeling they won't be the last to join me."

"Well then, that's three babies you have traveling with you!" Surge laughed. "Maybe when this is all over, I'll challenge them and see if they really are powerful enough to beat Cipher."

"Maybe, Surge. Maybe," Mark agreed. "But let's find Mimzy first. And I think we should search the S.S. Anne for starters."

_Back upstairs in the Pokemon Center, Mark and gang's room..._

The room remained silent for ten minutes after Mark left before exploding into chaos. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!" Alex screamed, throwing pillows and other items from her bottom bunk. The two boys had walked in on her getting dressed (she had woken up while the three boys were talking in the kitchen) and had seen her half naked. She instantly pulled a fit similar to the ones she pulled on Mark. "GET OUT, YOU PERVERTS! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN MARK!!"

After stumbling back into the kitchen, Luffy muttered, "Why is she getting dressed in _our_ room? There is a bathroom, I hope she knows."

KC just stared at the ground, blushing furiously. _Geez, and I thought she was pretty when she was mad but this tops it: pretty and half-dressed!_

"KC!" Luffy's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "I've noticed the way you've been looking at Alex. Do you like her or something?"

"What?! No!" KC denied. "Well, maybe just a little..."

"Well, looking at her half-naked isn't going to get her to like you back." Luffy critiqued. "You have to be nice and help her a little. Show her the kinder side of you. That's what the ladies like most in a man. Show that you're willing to protect her from danger, even die for her!"

"But I don't want to die over a girl!" KC whined.

"You don't really have to, KC." Luffy groaned, rubbing his head. "You've already showed you could protect her back in Cerulean."

"Oh, yeah," KC said, remembering how he saved her from Vaporeon's Shadow Chill attack. He had got his right sleeve shredded but saved Alex from being frozen. "I forgot that, Luffy. And my arm still hurts from Blaziken."

After returning to their house in Cerulean, KC had gotten his left arm bandaged up by their father. The bandages were still clean but the wounds hurt a ton, especially when sleeping.

Luffy sighed. "I know, KC. Hey Alex, are you ready to go yet?"

"Yes, I am now!" Alex shouted, stalking into the kitchen and giving the two brothers a death glare. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, let's go." Luffy agreed. The trio went through the bedroom and down to the lobby to meet up with Mark and Lt. Surge, ready to start searching.

_On the island that houses Cipher, medical ward..._

Rosalean silently entered the hospital room, sadly looking at the Gym Leader resting on it. Blazer was covered in bandages and his yellow-streaked red hair was a mess. He was wearing a long blue-green hospital gown, his clothing folded up on the table by his bed. His cracked sunglasses rested on his forehead, showing his tired brown eyes. _What did those Snaggers do to him? And where's Mist?_ Rosalean thought, sadly looking at her co-worker.

"So, Mist lost after all?" Blazer asked. "Pity. I expected a lot more from him, thought I feel sorry for him that Lapras went rogue. I hope Mimzy will be okay. If they got through Mist, they'll probably beat her just as easily."

"Yeah, I-I know." Rosalean sniffed. "Do you know where Mist might be?"

"In his room, maybe?" Blazer suggested.

"Checked there." She replied. "I can't believe those guys did this to you and him. Why would they do that?"

"Because they think they are doing the right thing, that's why." Blazer said. "Maybe they will do it. Maybe they will defeat Cipher one day, even if it's years from now."

Rosalean nodded. "I just hope Mist is okay."

"I do too, Rose." Blazer muttered, gripping her hand slightly. "I do too."

_Vermillion City, S.S. Anne..._

"Whoa!" KC cried, looking at the cruise ship. "Awesome! I've never been on a cruise ship before!"

"Neither have I, KC." Mark recalled.

"I've been on this ship lots of times." Lt. Surge said. "This was the very ship that took me to war all those years ago. Are you guys planning on boarding it to sail around the world?"

"Maybe later, after we save Kanto from Cipher," Mark explained. "Once we board this ship, we'll be gone for a whole year. One year is all it takes for Cipher to further its plans of world domination... or whatever else they might do."

"Hey, are we going or not?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed. "Let's look around for that Cipher Gym Leader, guys!"

"If we separate, we can beat more Cipher goons and trainers faster." Lt. Surge suggested. "We also have a higher chance of finding Mimzy, if she's even here."

"Okay guys, let's start looking!" Mark shouted.

Once they boarded the ship, flashing the ticket at the guard along the way, the five trainers separated. Alex started scouting the entrance deck while KC took the lower deck. Luffy searched the entrance level, finding a Great Ball and three berries. Lt. Surge was scouring the deck in search of the gym-stealing Mimzy and Mark headed for the east stairs, hoping to find the Cipher Gym Leader. He didn't find her but he did encounter Will at the foot of the stairs.

"Will! What are you doing here?" Mark demanded.

"Why, waiting for you of course." The brunette replied, standing up and brushing his black T-shirt off. "I've wanted to battle you ever since you beat me in Viridian. Things didn't go as I wanted them to, so I've made you my rival."

_Just great!_ Mark thought sarcastically. _I've already had one rival and now I get another. And he challenges me at the most inconvenient of times! I better make this quick. There's no telling where Mimzy is right now._

"Well, get ready to fight then." Mark growled. "I'm in a hurry, so I hope you lose quickly."

Will gave him a confused look but shook it off, pulling out a Poke Ball. "You'll be the one losing, Mark." The brunette hissed. "Go, Skorupi!"

A small, purplish-blue scorpion-like Pokemon appeared, tapping its arms on the ground threateningly. A pair of bright blue eyes glared at the Snagger, daring to be attacked. Its tail claws started clicking. "Skorup skorup!" it hissed.

_What the? Will didn't have that before!_ Mark looked at the younger boy, trying to figure him out. "You caught a new Pokemon?" he asked.

Will nodded, grinning. "You like him? He's one of my stronger Pokemon and he's pretty close to evolving into a Drapion. He's been undefeated so far, so try to beat him. I'd like to see you try and pull another win."

"Gladly! Go, Sparks!" Mark ordered. The Electric-type hopped off of his shoulder, sparks flying from its cheeks. "Sparks, use Quick Attack and follow up with Iron Tail!"

_He's trying the same trick? This'll be a piece of cake to win._ "Skorupi, use Toxic Spikes to slow Sparks down! Then use Pin Missile to knock him out!"

"Skoru!" Skorupi hissed and shot poisonous spikes from its mouth, landing them in Sparks' path. The Pikachu tried to slow down and started running around them, avoiding as many as he could. On sliced his leg but the Electric-type kept running. Once he jumped into the air, he was hit by tons of tiny needles. Sparks was thrown backwards and crashed among the Toxic Spikes, panting and feeling ill.

"Sparks!" Mark shouted.

Will felt like laughing but held it in. "It looks like you just keep using the same old tricks as before. Looks like I have you figured out now."

"Grrr..." Mark growled. "Salamence, fry that bug!"

Once Salamence was out, Skorupi was beaten with a single Hyper Beam. Will threw out Manectric, who drove the Dragon-type back but lost against Mightyena once more. Infernape finally came out and finished Salamence with a few hits. The fire monkey looked triumphant, thinking it had won.

"Looks like I win after all." Will commented. "Oh well, I guess you weren't strong... enough?"

Will had fallen silent upon seeing Sparks drag himself to his feet. The Electric-type had slowly been regaining his energy, faking unconsciousness to avoid detection during the fight. "Pika pika!" he cried, sparks flying once more.

Mark smiled. "The battle isn't over just yet, Will. Sparks still has enough energy for a few more attacks."

"Grrr... you little rat," Will spat. "Infernape, use Overheat and burn that mouse to a crisp!"

"Sparks, dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Mark roared.

The Fire/Fighting-type opened its mouth and unleashed a huge blast of searing flames. Sparks started running as fast as possible, avoiding the attack and heading straight for Infernape. The attack dissolved and Infernape tensed, preparing for the next attack. Sparks' tail started faintly glowing silver.

Will smirked. _Like I thought, it's the same old strategy._ "Infernape, get ready to attack!"

"Sparks, use—" Mark started.

Will reacted instantly, figuring out the strategy. "Infernape, punch at the sky! That's where he'll come from!" The monkey Pokemon pointed its fist at the sky, preparing for the aerial attack. When nothing came, Will looked at Mark in confusion. "Why aren't you attacking?!"

"I am," Mark said. "But it's not from the sky."

"What?" Will muttered and looked at Sparks. Then he realized his mistake.

"Sparks, use Volt Tackle on Infernape's unprotected stomach!" Mark cried.

"Infernape, aim at—"

His command never made it. Sparks, surrounded by crackling electricity, rammed into Infernape and knocked it out. Once the large Pokemon crash-landed at Will's feet, Mark grinned. "Well, it looks like _you_ lost, Will. Now if you don't mind, I need to go upstairs to look for someone."

Will walked away, grumbling. Once he was gone, Mark raced up the stairs and found a whimpering captain. "Ooh, that girl did a number on my back." The captain muttered.

"Hey, are you alright?" Mark asked. "Who did this to you?"

"A young girl with long blonde hair and an odd-looking Pikachu." The captain explained. "My back's horribly sore. Would you mind giving me a backrub to loosen it up?"

"Sure." Mark replied, rubbing the old man's back. After a few minutes, he asked, "That feeling better?"

"Oh, yes indeed. Thank you so much!" the captain said.

The door suddenly flung opened and Mark's four companions wandered in. "What happened to this place, Mark?" Luffy asked. "It looks like someone tore it apart."

"I think they practically did, Luffy." Alex pointed out, indicating the slash marks on the walls and the burns in the carpet. The main window was shattered and papers lay shredded on the floor. "Geez, do you think Mimzy did this?"

"I bet you anything that she did this." Lt. Surge growled, picking up paper scraps and putting them in the wastebasket by the desk. "Why would she do this? She got the gym so what would she want with the ships?"

"Maybe she was trying to prevent us from leaving Vermillion by ship." KC suggested. "Maybe she overheard us talking about going on the S.S. Anne and decided to prevent that."

"How did you all get up here?" the captain asked. "Did you beat all of those thugs who took over my ship?"

"Yeah, we did." Luffy replied. "They're all gone now. Man, this'll take forever to fix up. Looks like the cruise will be delayed for a while."

The captain looked around, shaking his head. "I guess so. Thank you for ridding me of those thugs. Are you looking to defeat that girl too?"

"Yes, we are." Lt. Surge replied. "We'll beat her and regain control of my gym. Once we win, I'll help you fix up this ship of yours. This ship is what brings in most of Vermillion's cash anyways. We wouldn't be half as rich if this ship went down."

"Maybe that's why they call it Ver_million_ City." KC joked. "Get it? Ver-million, as in a million bucks."

"Yeah, I get it!" the captain laughed. "You have quite the jokester here, young man."

"You don't know the half of it, sir." Luffy muttered, remembering how KC was also a mischievous prankster.

"Hey, we better be getting back, guys!" Alex called, peering out the broken window. "The sun is starting to go down."

"Right, Alex." Mark replied. He turned to the captain and shook his hand. "I'm glad that we could help you out. Maybe we'll come back one day."

"Thank you and I'll look forward to it." The captain said. He silently watched them walk down the docks towards Vermillion City. "Young miss, you can come out now. I don't know why you insisted on staying hidden."

A 16 year old girl with ice blue eyes walked out of the shadows. She wore a black dress shirt, black slacks, a red muffler, red leather jacket, and black knee-length boots with a red ribbon laced across both. She flipped her black hair, bound in a short ponytail, over her shoulder and sighed. "I'll stay hidden if I want." She growled. "I'll be staying here until repairs are finished, 'kay? I need to head to Prof. Oak's place and you can take me there as payment for driving that Cipher girl away."

The captain chuckled softly. "Of course, young miss. But I wonder, what is the 6th place winner of the Kanto League doing back in her old hometown?"

The girl fell silent for a bit. "...None of your business, old man."

_Vermillion City Pokemon Center..._

"I'm gonna go check out Vermillion, guys. KC, you coming with me?" Luffy announced.

"Sure!" the younger boy replied, hopping off his bed and turning to Alex. "You wanna come with us, Alex?"

"Well, why not. Okay, I'm going." The blue-haired girl said. "What about you, Mark?"

"Oh!" Mark mumbled. "No thanks. I'll stay here."

"Okay, Mark." Luffy said, sounding unsure. "Lt. Surge is staying in the room next door, just so you know."

"Got it!" the green-haired boy barked. "Now go and have your fun. I've got something I'm going to do tonight, guys, so see you later."

"...Okay..." Luffy, KC, and Alex left.

Once they were gone, Mark walked over to the computer and placed in a disk. He had found it under his pillow after they had returned to the room, and he had a feeling that he knew who it was from. _He hasn't sent me a message in a long time. What was he doing? Did he get caught?_ He pressed play and silently watched the CD message.

The screen showed a series of newspaper clippings. Upon closer inspection, Mark discovered that they had to do with the murder of Anna Hikoru and the disappearance of a young boy who looked strikingly similar to Mist. It was only then that Mark realized that it was Mist. At the bottom of the message of newspaper clips, there was a typed message.

It said: "Cipher has recently captured Articuno and Moltres of the legendary birds. Mist is horribly confused on who are his allies and who are his enemies. Cipher is becoming fearful of its downfall but is still going on strongly. Your friends are all targets of Cipher. I'm being slowly exposed to Cipher, so messages may come at varied times throughout your journey. The boss is expecting their victory through Mimzy. Project Shadow Legendaries is accelerating in speed. Be careful who you choose as allies."

The message ended there. _That's really odd,_ he thought. _He must have rushed this. Maybe if I knew who he was, I could try to help him. Shadow Master, who are you?_

After pulling the disk back out, Mark glanced at the clock. It said 8:30, meaning he only had a half hour until he met Mimzy. He still didn't know where she was hiding but now he knew where she was. Unfortunately, she had decided to pull a fast one on him. He certainly wasn't expecting this of a Cipher gym Leader.

Mark kept re-reading the note over and over again. He didn't understand why a Cipher Gym Leader would ask this of an enemy. He read it again.

"Dear Snagger, I want to get to know you more before our battle. Meet me at the restaurant near the beach at 9:00 tonight. I'll be waiting. P.S. Don't tell your friends about this note or you will suffer. Mimzy"

_Why would she want to eat with me?_ Mark thought. _Aren't we supposed to be enemies? This could be a trap, or it could be my chance to find out more about Cipher._

The green-haired Snagger got up and left the room. "Only one way to find out." He muttered. "I'll have to go meet her. Maybe then, I can find out more about Cipher… and the Shadow Master."

After exiting the Pokemon Center, he headed for the restaurant. It never hurt to be a little early, right? Sparks was shivering the whole way there, as if sensing his trainer's tension and fear. Mark kept walking, avoiding the other buildings so that his companions wouldn't see him. After a lot of dodging, he reached the restaurant. It wasn't all that big but it looked pretty fancy nonetheless. He entered, hoping Mimzy wasn't there yet.

Boy, was he wrong! The instant he walked in, a blonde girl tackled him and said in a chirpy voice, "Hey, stupid Snagger!"

Mark looked slightly puzzled. This was Mimzy? The girl had the same long blonde hair and electric blue eyes, but she was wearing a long red dress with a black pendant around her neck. Her Shadow Pikachu was perched on her shoulder in the same way Sparks was on Mark. The female yellow mouse had a bright red bow tied to her left ear. Mark was surprised that this girl was even in Cipher, let alone actually beat Lt. Surge and Raichu.

"Uh, are you Mimzy?" he asked, just to be sure that he had the right person.

Mimzy nodded, smiling. "Yep! I guess you're not as stupid as I thought you were, stupid Snagger."

_Geez, she's annoying,_ he thought as Mimzy dragged him to a nearby table. _Maybe she chatted Lt. Surge to defeat instead of actually fighting him._ Then Mimzy said something that caught his attention. "Hey, could you repeat that... Please?"

Mimzy looked a bit annoyed. "I bet you weren't even listening to me," She accused. "Fine, I'll repeat it. After we're done eating, you can ask me anything you want. But for now, it's my turn to question you."

"Uh, okay." Mark muttered, wriggling in his seat. Trying to talk casually with an enemy who could kill you was very uncomfortable. Sparks whimpered, backing away from the Shadow Pikachu. "What do you want?"

"First, why are you trying to defeat Cipher?" Mimzy demanded softly. "What have we done to you?"

"Nothing, really," Mark admitted. "It's just you guys are trying to take over the world. And you're using Pokemon as emotionless weapons to reach that goal. Sure, I don't like to be forced to do something that has nothing to do with me but Pokemon shouldn't be treated that way."

"Well, I agree with you there." Mimzy mumbled, glancing at her Shadow Pikachu. "Why do you have those three people traveling with you? Aren't you afraid that they'll get hurt in these fights?"

"No, because I know they can handle themselves in a fight." Mark replied. "Alex came along because she wanted to help me and go through her Pokemon journey with me. Luffy and KC came to prevent you guys from hurting someone close to them that had ties to you guys."

"Oh yeah, stupid Dr. Darien!" Mimzy cried. "I knew he was hiding somewhere. Prof. Pine told us he had located him but stupid Darien refused to come back."

"...The waiter's here for our order." Mark pointed out. "I'll have a plate of spaghetti, breadsticks, and red grapes. Could I also get some Poke Chow for my Pikachu?"

"Of course, sir." The waiter said. "And you, my lady?"

"I'll have some macaroni, a salad, and steak. Add some Poke Chow in for my Pikachu, too." Mimzy ordered, never looking away from Mark.

"Alright, your food will be here shortly. My lady, you may head to the salad bar to fetch your salad. I'll be back in a minute with some Poke Chow for your Pokemon." The waiter informed them.

"Okay, thanks." Mimzy said, waving him off. Once the waiter vanished into the kitchens, she returned to her questions. "How do you plan on beating Cipher?"

"I really don't know." Mark replied, choosing his words wisely. Everything he said could possibly give Cipher an edge, so he had to be careful. "But I'm definitely going to defeat all of the Gym Leaders and free all the regions."

"A wise decision, stupid Snagger." Mimzy complimented, stroking her Shadow Pikachu. "I have only one last question for you. Why did Ho-Oh and Lugia choose you to wear the Shadow Pendant?"

"I don't know. It was just chance, really." Mark explained, being careful of what he said. "Anybody could have been in that same exact spot and it just so happened to be me at the time."

"But why?!" Mimzy demanded.

"I don't know!" Mark hissed, started to get slightly mad. "They didn't tell me why. They just said that I had to save the world from you guys and then dropped me off in Pallet Town. I don't even know why _I_ have to do this! Why couldn't someone else do it? Do you know how much pressure is on me? The whole world is depending on me and if I fail, everyone dies. I don't want that!"

Mimzy silently listened. _Poor stupid Snagger,_ she thought. _Who'd have thought defeating us was so hard? Talk about the weight of the world on your shoulders. Well, that's what you get for going against us. Anna went through it and now you must, too._

"Food's here," Mark noted.

The waiter reappeared carrying a large platter filled with their orders. Placing the food in their respective places, he bid them a good meal and vanished once more. Mimzy stood up and made her salad, returning to see Mark clutching Sparks while glaring at her Pikachu. "What's the matter, stupid Snagger?" she asked, holding back giggles.

Mark looked at her and said, "That Pikachu tried to cuddle with Sparks,"

"Aw, that's so cute!" Mimzy cooed, sitting down and petting her Shadow Pikachu. "Can't you see that my Pikachu likes your stupid Pikachu?"

"No, I honestly can't see it." Mark replied, holding Sparks closer. "Don't you erase all emotions from Shadow Pokemon? How can she love without emotions?"

"Love is a feeling, not an emotion." Mimzy said.

"Actually, love is an emotion." Mark informed. "Is your Shadow Pokemon different somehow?"

"Might as well answer your questions," Mimzy muttered.

_That's right! It must be my turn to question her,_ he thought.

"I messed around with my Shadow Pikachu's traits so she wouldn't be a stupid emotionless tool. That gets quite boring sometimes, stupid Snagger." Mimzy explained, grinning. "The stupid scientists wouldn't let me so I just shocked them and did as I wanted. Stupid people should learn not to get in my way."

Mark nearly choked on his spaghetti. _She attacked other Cipher minions?! I thought they all got along!_ "Why would you attack your own teammates?" he demanded.

"I don't consider stupid scientists to be our stupid teammates," she commented. "Those stupid people would be out of stupid jobs if it wasn't for Cipher. Dunno why boss gave them their stupid jobs. They're worthless, if you ask me."

"Who's the boss, anyway?" Mark asked.

Mimzy stopped eating her salad, looking surprised. "None of us really know who he is, surprisingly. Not even stupid Prof. Pine, who sees him loads of times, doesn't know boss' true identity. Some say it's stupid Greevil but boss isn't a stupid midget. Others say it's a stupid outcast from stupid Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, or Galactic but boss has no ties with them... at least any that we know about."

"So, you have no idea who you are working for?" Mark summarized.

"Basically, yes." Mimzy said, finishing her salad.

"What about that Shadow Legendaries Project? What's that supposed to do?" Mark asked.

"What do you think, stupid Snagger? The name says it all." Mimzy growled. "It's a project to turn all of the legendaries into Shadow Pokemon. It's already been proven that Lugia became one long ago when Cipher launched its second attack in Orre. So far, only Mew has been fully transformed into its pure shadow state. But we're working on two of the legendary birds."

"Is there any real reason why you're trying to take over the world?" Mark demanded.

Mimzy sighed, setting down her fork. "With the stupid Legendaries under our control, the stupid world will essentially be ours. We have control over the stupid regions but the stupid people refuse to see us as the new rulers of the stupid Pokemon world. So we'll take control of the stupid famed Legendaries to show our true power. The stupid people will have no choice but to follow our commands and crown us rulers."

"I'm sure the other evil organizations aren't going to take this, right?" Mark added.

"Of course not, stupid." Mimzy muttered. "We're already working on how to destroy those stupid organizations from the inside out. First, we have our stupid spies sneak in and disguise themselves as the organization's stupid workers. Then slowly, they will destroy the organization's stupid computer systems and make the stupid base explode. Even if it doesn't kill them, they won't dare try to go against us."

"And if they do defy you again?"

"We make a stupid false alliance and later on, betray them by possibly killing their leader." Mimzy laughed. "They're so stupid, they'll probably fall for it! Stupid Team Snagem sure did!"

"Team Snagem?" Mark asked. "I've never heard of them."

"Of course not, stupid." Mimzy replied. "They don't go anywhere outside of Orre. We did the stupid false alliance to get a hold of their stupid Snag Machine technology. We ended up betraying them during the first attack. During the second attack 5 years later, stupid Team Snagem allied with the stupid Snagger and defeated us. But since we're nowhere near Orre this time, stupid Snagem can't attack us unless they gain the guts to leave Orre."

"What about the Shadow Master?" Mark asked, finishing his spaghetti. "What do you know about him?"

Mimzy let out a growl and stabbed her fork into the table. "He's a stupid hacker and I bet all of my stupid money that it's stupid Poindexter!" she shouted, causing many people nearby to stare. Mimzy didn't notice. "And I know that stupid Mist is in on it, too!"

"Hey, calm down!" Mark hissed. "People are staring."

Mimzy looked around, glaring at anyone who made eye contact with her. Once everyone stopped staring, she sat down again. "Sorry about that, stupid Snagger."

"It's, uh... okay." Mark muttered, eating in silence.

_Northeast section of Vermillion..._

KC wandered around the cleared-off area. He had separated from Luffy and Alex to do some exploring since this was the first time in a few years that he had actually left Cerulean City. Going to new places was neat in KC's opinion, especially with good friends. He had seen a few Cipher goons stalking around and managed to avoid them. He didn't want to be caught by Cipher only a day into this journey to defeat Cipher.

KC suddenly realized something. _Hey, this is where that kid was, the one with the Camerupt. Maybe he's still here._ The 14 year old started looking for the brunette boy, hoping to meet him.

The raven-haired boy stopped nearby a tree and peered out, listening to the noise. The boy he was looking for was surrounded by three other, much bigger boys. One had a purple bandanna around his head with a white Poke Ball painted on it, another had short gray hair and gray eyes, and the last had long blonde hair with orange tips. The trio had the boy surrounded in the middle of the clearing, holding Poke Balls. KC silently listened to the conversation.

"Hey, why don't you talk, kid?" the bandanna-wearing boy demanded. "Playing the silent act doesn't make you cool or anything, so just give it up!"

"Maybe he needs to be shoved around a little." The gray-haired boy suggested. "Maybe that'll get him to start talking."

The blonde grinned and waved his Poke Ball in the brunette's face threateningly. "Or maybe a Pokemon battle would do it? That is, if he has any Pokemon!"

The brunette remained silent but seemed to eye the Poke Ball warily. "...Leave me alone." He said calmly.

"Well, at least we know he's not mute!" the bandanna-wearing boy laughed. "What's the matter, don't you want to have a Pokemon battle with us?"

"Maybe he's just too scared." The blonde joked. "He probably knows that he can't beat us, even with that overgrown cow of his."

The brunette's Camerupt let out a low grunt. The brunette boy looked at his Fire-type Pokemon and reached out, scratching it behind the ear. The trio glared at him, angry that he was ignoring them like that.

"That's it, I'm sick of waiting around for your answer, punk!" the gray-haired boy shouted. "Go, Croconaw!"

"Well, I'm in too!" the blonde cried. "Help him out, Bayleef!"

"Count me in, guys!" the bandanna-wearing boy added. "Get in there, Lombre!"

The three Pokemon popped out and stood in attack stance, eager for a fight. The brunette boy stepped back and allowed Camerupt to step forward, grunting. KC watched in surprise. _How's he gonna beat three Pokemon with a single Camerupt, especially with two being Water-types?_

"Croconaw, use Ice Fang!" the gray-haired boy ordered.

The brunette boy pushed his glasses up slightly and said, "Earthquake," in the same calm voice as before.

The blue crocodile-like Pokemon charged forward, its fangs glowing white and fog pouring from its mouth. Camerupt lifted one front leg and smashed it down into the ground heavily. The ground started shaking instantly, making the three trainers crash to the ground and Croconaw slammed headfirst into a nearby bush. The brunette remained standing, seeming to be used to such powerful earthquakes. KC leaned against the tree, amazed. _Man, this guy is good!_

The blonde dragged himself to his feet and hauled his friends up with him. "That was good but not good enough. Bayleef, use Poison Powder!" he commanded. "Knock that fat cow out!"

The Grass-type started waving the leaf on its head in Camerupt's direction. The Fire-type snorted, blowing away the purple powder and sending it flying at the blonde. Then Camerupt rammed into Bayleef, crashing it into the trapped Croconaw in the bushes. Glancing up, the brunette smiled upon seeing the blonde gagging on his knees and trying not to throw up. KC smirked. _He deserved it. Doesn't he know that a Camerupt's breath can change certain powder attacks? Like that one!_ The raven-haired boy laughed inside and continued watching.

The bandanna-wearing boy growled and said, "Lombre, use Fury Swipes!"

The green Pokemon dashed forward and jumped into the air just above Camerupt's head. Raising a set of red claws, it slashed downwards across the Fire-type's face. The cow jumped backward, bellowing in pain. While the bandanna-wearing boy did a victory dance, the brunette raised a Poke Ball and unleashed a second Pokemon.

When the cow backed up, the trio noticed their new opponent. It was a Froslass, a Ghost/Ice-type Pokemon. The strange Pokemon raised one arm and with a single swipe, created a repulsive wind that threw Lombre into its trainer. While he was recovering, the blonde ran forward and punched the left side of the brunette's face. Froslass floated in front of its trainer and sent another gust of wind at the trio, sending them all flying backwards. After getting up, the trio started backing up, returning their Pokemon and running away. Once they were gone, the brunette crawled over to Camerupt and started wiping the blood off of its face with a handkerchief. KC decided that now was a good time to come out.

"Hey, are you okay?" KC asked, staying his distance. He could see the look in Froslass' eyes that dared him to get near the injured boy. "Is Camerupt okay, too?"

The brunette nodded. "You saw that match?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did. That was incredible how your Fire-type even managed to beat a Water-type without getting hit once until that Lombre showed up." KC exclaimed. "And that Froslass is awesome! I've never seen one before though, so this is just as great!"

"Hmm..." the brunette returned to wiping his Fire-type's face.

KC grumbled, slightly annoyed that this kid wasn't talking to him. No wonder those three started a fight. "My name's KC. What's yours?" KC asked, holding out his gloved hand.

The older boy looked up, showing a calm but slightly worried expression. "Ryan Malar," he answered. Ryan fell silent as he returned to washing his Camerupt's face. Froslass drifted slightly closer, feeling slightly protective of its hurt trainer.

"You never say more than two or three words at once, don't you?" KC asked, sitting down beside Ryan. "Does your face hurt from when that kid punched you?"

"Yes," Ryan answered, a hand reaching up to massage his bruised cheek. His glasses were slightly cracked around the left lens. A bit of blood ran down his chin from his mouth. KC guessed Ryan had either bitten his tongue or split his lip.

"Um..." KC frantically thought of something to say. "Do you know anything about that woman who took over Vermillion Gym?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied. He put the bloodied handkerchief into his jacket pocket. After returning his two Pokemon, Ryan stood up. "I battled her and lost."

"You lost?" KC cried. "She must really be powerful then."

Ryan nodded. He definitely wasn't in the mood to talk, especially to a kid he had just met. But maybe he could make a friend at least. "She is," he agreed. "One shot."

KC looked confused. "Huh?"

Ryan sighed. "She took me down in one shot."

"Whoa!" KC cried. "That means Mark and us are gonna have a lot of trouble beating her."

Now it was Ryan's turn for a confused look. _If they go against her, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll lose. No matter how many friends he has, the odds are still the same._ Ryan turned to head for home when an idea struck him. "Want to come over?"

"Huh?" KC asked. "I'll have to ask my big brother first."

Ryan nodded and sat at the foot of the tree KC had been hiding behind moments before. As the younger boy walked away to locate his big brother, Ryan thought about some things. Mainly, he wondered why a total stranger to Vermillion would want to fight an insanely strong girl, who beat Lt. Surge in three hits, and even hope to win. Either the kid was insane or something about him could assure victory. _I better keep an eye on him,_ Ryan thought. _An ally that strong could be good to have around. Maybe I'll finally be able to leave this darn city behind once and for all._

After about ten minutes, KC returned with Alex and Luffy. Upon seeing him, Alex cried, "Hey! You're that boy from yesterday!"

"Huh?" Ryan mumbled. _Oh, it's her again._

"I'm gonna go over to Ryan's house for a while, big brother. Is that okay with you?" KC asked.

"Well, I guess so." Luffy replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Just be careful. Hey, what happened to you?"

"Pokemon battle," Ryan said, standing back up. He motioned for KC to follow him and waved goodbye to the other two. Once they were close to Ryan's house, he growled, "Don't mention the battle to my parents."

"Why?"

"...Later," Ryan muttered, opening the door and entering. KC followed him inside.

When they entered, a man with dark brown hair looked up from the television. "Hey, Ryan! About time that you got home!" he greeted. "Oh, you brought a friend! Who is he?"

"I'm KC!" KC introduced himself. "I'm from Cerulean City. I saw your son in a big Po—?!"

Ryan had hit KC in the ribs with his elbow, silencing any further statements. "Going upstairs," Ryan said, grabbing KC's arm and walking upstairs to him room. Once there, he locked his bedroom door and glanced at KC.

"I almost told him, didn't I?" KC asked, rubbing his ribs.

"Sorry," the brunette apologized. "Parents hate Pokemon."

"What?!" KC cried. "How can anyone hate Pokemon?"

"Easy," Ryan answered, sitting on the bed.

KC sat beside him. "Why?"

Ryan shrugged. "Don't know," he replied, turning to look out the window.

"...Okay," KC muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his head on them. "I might end up sleeping over tonight, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Ryan agreed. _It's not like I've had anyone sleep over in about seven years,_ he thought. "Thanks."

"For what?" KC asked.

"For being my friend."

"You're welcome, Ryan." KC said. "Besides, everyone needs a friend."

Ryan slowly nodded. That he had to agree to. Besides, who could live without someone to talk to about anything and everything? _...Maybe me..._ Ryan thought, resting his head on the window.

_Outside of the restaurant..._

Mark quickly walked back to the Pokemon Center. He had to e-mail this to Prof. Oak right away. This was important stuff! Not long after eating, Mimzy had revealed a secret about Cipher that could bring him one step closer to defeating Cipher and ending this journey before anyone got hurt.

Once he entered the Pokemon Center, he ran up the stairs to the room he and his three companions shared. Upon entering, he was shocked to see only Luffy and Alex in the room. "Where's KC?" the green-haired Snagger asked, closing the door behind him.

"Over at some kid called Ryan's house." Luffy explained. "Where were you all day? Alex was worried sick about you!"

"I was not!" Alex yelled.

"Oh, so you call pacing around the room and whining about how Cipher probably kidnapped him _not_ worrying?" Luffy wondered.

"..." Alex looked away, blushing furiously. "Shut up." She said quietly, clenching her fists.

"O...K," Mark muttered, walking past the duo to the computer. "If you don't mind, I just hit the jackpot on information on Cipher."

"How?" Alex asked.

"Um...Uh, well..." Mark murmured, blushing. Sparks hid under the blankets to hide his own blush. "A little birdy told me."

"Would this little birdy happen to be the girl who beat Lt. Surge?" Luffy asked. When there was no response, Luffy smiled. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Like Alex said, shut up." Mark growled. "I'm e-mailing this to Prof. Oak and Gary to see what they make of it."

"What is it, anyway?" Alex asked.

Mark smiled. "It's the list of all the Cipher goons and Gym Leaders, the Shadow Legendaries project, and lots more. But what really makes this worthwhile..."

"What?" Luffy demanded.

Mark turned to them and grinned. "What really made this worthwhile is the Data ROM, a memory device that may contain Cipher's secrets."

The duo looked at one another and both said, "What does it say?"

"How do I know?" Mark barked. "I'm trying to open it right now. Weird, it's locked. It won't open."

"Maybe it's a fake?" Luffy suggested.

"Maybe," Alex agreed. "Why would Mimzy give away Cipher's secrets?"

"I really don't know, Alex." Mark muttered. "I really don't know."

_On the island housing Cipher, Poindexter's room..._

Poindexter sighed, leaning back against the wall as he watched Mist. The white-haired Gym Leader had been looking up all available information on Cipher and so far, Mist had pulled three tantrums and had broken the chair. Poindexter had been forced to steal one from the next room and watched in silence, praying for a calm response. "You sound like Dart when he pulls a tantrum." The brunette commented.

"Don't compare me to the raving blonde lunatic." Mist growled. After another minute of silence, Mist smashed his fist on the desk. "Darn it! I don't believe this! Poindexter, are you sure this is all true information?!"

"Yes, I'm positive." Poindexter replied, pushing his glasses up to block the glare of the computer screen. "Why? Do you not like what you find?"

"Yeah," Mist grumbled.

Poindexter pushed himself into a standing position and walked towards him, resting a hand on the psychic's shoulder. "Let me have a look at that Poke Ball." He said. "The one you threatened me with that day when you demanded that I delete all of Anna's files. I have a feeling that it's empty of a Pokemon but full of something else, right?"

Mist nodded and handed it over. "Be careful with it."

"Right," The brunette pushed the button, opening the Poke Ball. "Well, what do we have here?"

**Next Chapter:** The Silent Dreamer

"Charmander, use Overheat!" KC shouted.

"Take Down," Ryan said calmly.

The orange lizard Pokemon opened its mouth and shot out a blast of super-heated flames. Camerupt sidestepped it and charged forward, ramming into Charmander and sending it flying backwards. The little Fire-type pulled itself to its feet, only to be knocked down again.

"Oh man! Pikachu, help out!" KC ordered, releasing the Electric-type.

"Froslass," Ryan commented to the Ghost-type floating beside him. "Ominous Wind."

With a single swipe of an arm, Froslass sent both Pokemon tumbling backwards. KC dashed forward to check his Pokemon. They had a few bruises but nothing too serious. "Geez, he really is strong." He muttered.

Ryan sighed. "Are you done?"

"Not even close!" KC replied. "This battle isn't over yet. I'm just warming up!"

Ryan shrugged. "Your choice," he muttered. _So the battle continues, but for how much longer?_

--

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Preview didn't help much except hint at a battle between KC and Ryan. Steelion, I hope I got Ryan the way you wanted him to act. Doing people who don't talk a lot is sorta hard but a fun challenge nonetheless! Yeah, not as much extra info on Cipher as I wanted but I didn't want to show everything yet.

I just noticed this in the profiles of KC and Ryan. Ryan is older but is one inch shorter than KC, who is one year younger. I just thought this was funny. Anyways, I ran out of ideas and just added the Poindexter and Mist bit in for fun. The chapter will be the beginning of the fight against Mimzy. See you next time, guys!


	20. Chapter 20: The Silent Dreamer

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! I'm glad that everyone is happy with the story so far. I've got a lot of stuff planned for this story and I'm happy you guys like it so far. Sorry this is late, but school finally got out and I've had more time to do this (please don't be mad!). Okay, so this is the beginning of the Mimzy battle. As an added bonus, KC and Ryan have a battle (sorta)! I hope you will enjoy both of these battles, everyone. Thanks for the loads of support. Especially to these new people:

**KCSonic113:** Thank you for the support and characters. Making Luffy and KC was fun and I love them to death. I'm glad that you've been helping me with this and giving me ideas for later on in this story. You've really been a great help and I pray you'll be able to stick around when this story ends. Thanks once again.

**Yonoka Takai:** Thank you for the support and praise you've given me. Making your character mysterious is a great part in this story and I love how you made her. Yes, the S.S. Anne is trashed but will be rebuilt since she wants to go to Pallet Town and see Prof. Oak. Your praise has made me happy and I hope you'll continue reading. Once again, thanks.

**Mossnose:** Thanks for support and character ideas. I'm happy that you're hooked on this story, it makes me proud to know that. Your character is going to be fun to develop and I already have plans for her in this story. Thanks!

**Steelion:** Thanks for the support and character. Ryan is a very fun guy to write and his mostly-silent attitude is a great challenge. I love how you made him, he's a very interesting guy. Wonder how he'll fair against KC... He'll probably fair pretty good. Ryan is great to create and I hope you enjoy how he is here. Thank you!

**K.I.A. Kal:** It's good to see a new reviewer. Mimzy wanted to find out more about Mark and in exchange for that info, she gave him a bit of info on Cipher. The disk she gave him will come into play later on in the story. If you want to make a character, maybe you could make the Viridian Cipher Gym Leader? Anyways, thanks!

Once again, thanks for all of the support everybody! This story is only continuing because of the constant praise and support. Now, I present to you the 20th chapter of my story! Enjoy! Onto the chapter!

Chapter 20: The Silent Dreamer

KC yawned, rolling over in his sleeping bag. As his vision came back, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. "Where the—oh yeah," the 14 year old mumbled. "I'm at Ryan's place." He stretched a little bit and looked at the bed where his new friend lay, probably still asleep. _I wonder why he doesn't talk a lot. And why do his parents hate Pokemon? Do they even know he has them?_ These thoughts kept running through the raven-haired boy's head, desperate to find answers.

Ryan slowly stirred and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Glancing at KC, he nodded to acknowledge him. Looking at the window, Ryan muttered, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you, too." KC replied, propping his elbows on the edge of the older boy's bed. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

The brunette nodded.

"Do your parents know that you have Pokemon?"

Ryan looked at KC in surprise before shaking his head. "No, it's a secret." He explained.

"Oh, okay then," KC said, resting his head on his arms. "Is that why you don't talk a lot?"

"No," Ryan replied. "Different reason."

"What reason?"

"..." Ryan fell silent. He reached over a plucked his glasses off of the bedside table, putting them on and sniffing the air. "Breakfast," he commented, getting up.

KC groaned and stood up, following the boy downstairs. _Why won't he tell me anything?_ He mentally demanded. Once they sat down in the kitchen, Ryan's mother placed two pancakes on his plate. "Pancakes? Awesome!" KC cried, digging in. "The last time I had pancakes was when my big brother made them three weeks ago. Man, these are good!"

"Why, thank you!" Mrs. Malar praised, patting the raven-haired boy on the head. "You're the first one to compliment my cooking in a very long time." She sent glares at her husband and son.

Mr. Malar swallowed the food in his mouth. "What?! I compliment you!"

"Only when your boss or co-workers are around." Mrs. Malar snapped, smacking the table with a wooden spoon. "At least Ryan is polite, if a bit silent."

Ryan looked up and mumbled, "It's good."

"Thank you, Ryan! At least my son and his friends are more polite than my slob of a husband."

"Hey!" Mr. Malar complained. "I'm not a slob!"

"Oh, shut it, you!" Mrs. Malar growled, waving the wooden spoon threateningly.

KC sighed and looked at Ryan. "I think your family is a bit crazy." He commented quietly.

Ryan nodded. "I know."

"You know what, Ryan?" Mrs. Malar asked, overhearing his statement.

"He knows your food is the best ever!" KC cried. Ryan instantly nodded, agreeing with the younger boy.

"Good." She replied, sitting down to eat her own food. "So, KC, what do you do for fun? Video games, cards, sports?"

"I train Pokemon." KC answered. "I'm gonna become one of the greatest Pokemon trainers in the world! Even better than my big brother!"

Both adults stiffened. "I'm sorry." Mr. Malar apologized upon seeing KC's questioning look. "We don't train Pokemon in this house. I have allergies and my wife had a horrid experience with a Feraligatr as a child. Ryan hasn't been allowed to train one because of both of our fears."

"Well, that's a dumb reason." KC grumbled. "My big brother says that training Pokemon gives a kid responsibility and lets them travel the world. Pokemon aren't all that dangerous, only if you threaten them."

"Tell that to the Feraligatr that bit me." Mrs. Malar murmured.

After breakfast, KC and Ryan headed for the northwest corner of Vermillion. Once there, Ryan turned to face him and held out a Pokemon. "Let's battle." He requested.

"What?" KC asked. "How come? Do you want to see how strong I am compared to you?"

Ryan nodded. "Camerupt," he said, releasing the orange cow Pokemon. Then he released Froslass, who floated beside him in a protective manner.

"Okay then, but I can tell you that I'm pretty strong too." KC warned. "Go, Charmander!"

"Let's begin." Ryan replied.

"Charmander, use Overheat!" KC shouted.

"Take Down," Ryan said calmly.

The orange lizard Pokemon opened its mouth and shot out a blast of super-heated flames. Camerupt sidestepped it and charged forward, ramming into Charmander and sending it flying backwards. The little Fire-type pulled itself to its feet, only to be knocked down again.

"Oh man! Pikachu, help out!" KC ordered, releasing the Electric-type.

"Froslass," Ryan commented to the Ghost-type floating beside him. "Ominous Wind."

With a single swipe of an arm, Froslass sent both Pokemon tumbling backwards. KC dashed forward to check his Pokemon. They had a few bruises but nothing too serious. "Geez, he really is strong." He muttered.

Ryan sighed. "Are you done?"

"Not even close!" KC replied. "This battle isn't over yet. I'm just warming up!"

Ryan shrugged. "Your choice," he muttered. _So the battle continues, but for how much longer?_

_On the island that houses Cipher, training room A..._

Florence silently watched the training session with mild interest. Blazer had managed to sneak out of the medical ward and was viciously attacking a punching bag. His Blaziken sat a little ways away, looking fully ashamed over something. The only reason that Florence was there was to make sure Blazer didn't hurt himself too badly. "What's your problem?" the Celadon Gym Leader asked. "You've been acting like this ever since you came back from Cerulean. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." The redhead spat, punching the bag angrily. "I just need to get stronger... way stronger."

"Why?"

"I nearly lost to a little brat and his team of pathetic Pokemon, that's why!" Blazer yelled. "Blaziken was nearly killed and it's all their fault!" He gestured for Blaziken to come over. The duo started sparring.

"So what if the brat nearly beat you?" Florence said, examining her nails. "It's just one little mouse. Chances are that it'll never happen again."

"I don't believe in chances, only wins!" Blazer barked. As he looked back at his Blaziken, the Fire-type smashed its fist into his chest and threw him backwards. When the concerned birdman Pokemon darted forward, Blazer shouted, "Don't, Blaziken! Don't show me any mercy!"

"Blazer!" Florence shouted, jumping to her feet from her seat on the floor. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting stronger," he panted, dragging himself to his feet. "Blaziken, hit me with all you've got. Don't show me any mercy. I'll get stronger no matter what it takes!"

Blaziken looked shocked but reluctantly obeyed. Charging forward, it kicked its trainer into a wall and started pounding him continually. Blazer coughed up blood but never ordered Blaziken to stop. Florence screamed for him to stop it but her cries fell on deaf ears. Blazer was too determined to get stronger.

"Blazer, that's enough!" she screamed. "Sceptile, stop them!"

Her abnormally large Grass-type charged forward, ramming into Blaziken and separating them. Blaziken skidded to a stop and nodded, understanding the Sceptile's threat. Blazer slowly sat up as Florence helped him. "Why did you stop me?" he asked.

"Blaziken was going to kill you if I hadn't have stopped it." Florence explained. "Why are you doing this? Getting hurt won't make you stronger."

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Blazer coughed.

"What doesn't kill you the first time will always get a second chance later in life." Florence argued. "You won't get stronger if you die."

Blazer jerked his arm out of her grip and shouted, "I HAVE TO GET STRONGER NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES! I CAN'T LOSE TO A BUNCH OF BRATS! I'LL GET STRONGER EVEN IF IT KILLS ME! JUST STAY THE HECK OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"

Florence looked shocked but that quickly turned into anger. In a swift motion, she slapped the Fire-type trainer across the face. "YOU CAN'T GET STRONGER IF YOU'RE DEAD!!"

The redhead stayed still, shocked. He had never thought that the older woman would slap him. He felt so much like a child now. Leaning against her, he muttered, "I'm sorry. I got carried away again, didn't I?"

Florence nodded, running a hand through the younger man's yellow-streaked red hair. "Yeah, you did."

The duo remained silent, their two Pokemon quietly watching their trainers. Florence and Blazer may not get along most of the time but everyone needed someone to lean on in times like these. Besides, even mortal enemies can feel lonely no matter how much they deny it. They just need someone there to care for them, whether they like it or not.

_Vermillion City, Pokemon Center..._

Mark, Alex, and Luffy exited the Pokemon Center, preparing to fight against Mimzy. "We better get KC and Lt. Surge before we head for Vermillion Gym." Alex suggested, her hands shoved in her pockets. "I wonder who that Ryan guy is anyway."

"I'll go get him." Luffy said, turning and heading for the northeast section of Vermillion. He only took three steps before a weird feeling came over him. He turned and looked towards the beach. _Darkrai?_ He thought, closing his eyes. _What is it?_

_Find Lt. Surge first,_ an eerie voice said in Luffy's mind. _KC is in a Pokemon battle with Ryan, a test of strength._

Luffy nodded, smiling. _I should've known. Thanks._ He turned to his two companions and told them of Darkrai's message. Once the duo got over the shock of their best friend being on good terms with the Legendary, they agreed to find Lt. Surge first. "Where should we look for him?" Luffy asked.

"Why don't you ask Darkrai?" Alex teased.

"Hey!" Luffy cried. "Darkrai only protects us and gives us warnings. Darkrai doesn't tell us where we should go or what to do when we're in danger! Darkrai is only there because of a deal our father made with it. Other than protection, Darkrai doesn't help us at all!"

Alex fell silent for a moment before saying, "Geez, that sucks. So, Darkrai is not you and KC's Pokemon?"

"I guess not." Mark agreed. "But I expected as much. Legendaries don't take kindly to being captured by just anyone. Only people who prove their worth and power are capable of gaining the respect of a Legendary, and possibly catching a Legendary."

"Okay okay, I get it!" Alex barked. "No need to go 'School teacher mode' on me!"

"Just telling you the facts," Mark muttered, looking towards the S.S. Anne. "I hope the old man's okay. Why would Mimzy attack the S.S. Anne?"

"Maybe to prevent us from going straight to other locations from here," Luffy commented. "The S.S. Aqua docks at Olivine in Johto briefly before returning here. The S.S. Anne travels around the world and docks here once a year. And the ten Seagallop Ferries sail regularly to the Sevii Islands. Most of the ships here are damaged but repairable."

"Wow!" Alex cried. "Do you think we could take it to Olivine after we beat Cipher here in Kanto, Mark?"

"I don't think so." Mark said, walking towards the docks. "We still need to free the Orange Islands, Seafoam Islands, and the Sevii Islands after this. Johto will come after we free the islands from Cipher."

"Awww," Alex groaned.

"Don't worry, Alex. We'll get there eventually." Luffy comforted.

As the trio reached the docks, they noticed a ton of Pokemon trainers using their Pokemon to block any oil leaks from the ships. And heading them all in waist-high water was Lt. Surge, who was ordering them to keep the pressure while others fixed the leaks. "Hey, what's going on?" Mark asked the former Gym Leader.

"What does it look like? We're blocking the oil leaks to prevent any pollution." Lt. Surge replied. "Hey, you there! Don't let any of that get in the water!"

"How come? Are you afraid of pollution? But that's easy to clean up." Alex pointed out.

"Not when the Grimer get here!" called a young boy with spiky red hair. "If these seas are ever polluted, we'll get an infestation of Grimer faster than you can say 'oops!'!"

"Man, that sounds terrible." Luffy agreed. "Maybe we should help?"

"No, we're fine here on our own." The redhead boy growled. "If you're here to help Lt. Surge get his gym back, then do it! We can handle everything here."

"You sure you babies won't mess up?" Lt. Surge shouted so that every worker would hear it.

"Sir, yes sir!" they all shouted.

"'Kay then, I've got nothing left to do here." Lt. Surge grunted, hauling himself out of the water and onto the docks. After climbing to his feet, the blonde said, "So, are we getting my gym back or what?"

"We've got to get KC first." Mark argued. "He's in the middle of a battle and we have to beat the Cipher goons around here first. We could kill some time by beating the goons and then fetch KC."

"Well, that's a deal on my part." Lt. Surge laughed. "Show me where they are and I'll show them what happens when you mess with a former military lieutenant."

"Okay, here they are, guys." Mark said, showing his PDA to the others. Once everyone had memorized where the goons were, the group split up to defeat them. After that, they would grab KC and beat Mimzy. _I just hope she isn't as good as Mist was,_ Mark pleaded silently.

_Northeast section of Vermillion, KC and Ryan's battle..._

Pikachu was thrown backwards again, crashing into the ground before getting back up. Ryan's Camerupt snorted, tossing its head in annoyance. It wasn't used to such hardy opponents. Ryan and Froslass stood behind the cow-like Pokemon, silently watching the fight. KC and Charmander stood behind Pikachu, ready to launch a counterattack. Both combatants' Pokemon were slightly wounded: Pikachu had blood running from a cut on its forehead and Camerupt had a bloody nose.

_This is sure a tough fight,_ KC thought, watching Ryan for any sign of an attack. _He's way tougher than I thought he was. Even those Cipher goons from Cerulean can't stack up against this guy. And I bet he isn't even going at it fully... he's probably holding back._

Ryan raised a hand and pointed to Pikachu. "Take Down," he commanded.

The Fire-type charged, ramming into the weary Electric-type. KC's Pikachu landed on all fours and dashed forward, sparks shooting from its cheeks. KC smiled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he cried.

_What?!_ Ryan thought.

The Pikachu jumped into the air and landed on Camerupt's head, digging its claws into the orange cow's fur. Camerupt started bucking, trying to throw the smaller Pokemon off. The sparks intensified and Pikachu released a loud cry. "Piiiika... CHUUUUU!!" Camerupt bellowed in agony as its body was engulfed in white light. Then the white light turned into an explosion. Camerupt crashed into a tree while Pikachu landed by KC's feet, then promptly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Camerupt," Ryan muttered, kneeling beside his wounded Pokemon. Camerupt let out a groan, smoke pouring from its mouth and nose. Ryan pulled out a Poke Ball and returned it. Standing back up, he turned to face KC again. "Continue?"

"So, you want to keep fighting?" KC asked. "Sure, why not?" He returned Pikachu and motioned for Charmander to step forward. "Guess it's your turn, Charmander."

"Char char!" Charmander cried, its tail waving happily.

Ryan nodded. He tossed a Great Ball, releasing a large black and yellow Pokemon. Its face was like a large shield similar to a castle wall and it had smaller shield-like growths on its legs. Small gray spikes ran along the Pokemon's back, giving it a sinister look. Golden eyes narrowed and it snorted at Charmander. "Bastiodon," Ryan said.

"Bastiodon?" KC asked. "I never heard of one."

Charmander let out a low growl. Bastiodon snorted again, mocking the Fire-type. "Ready to fight?" Ryan asked calmly.

"Yeah!" KC replied. "Charmander, use Metal Claw!"

"Char char!" Charmander cried, charging. It jumped into the air and ripped its claws down the larger Pokemon's face, smirking. When the Fire-type jumped back, it looked up in shock. Bastiodon shook its head, seemingly unaware that it had just been attacked. "Char?"

"What the heck is up with that thing?" KC muttered, pulling out his Pokedex. "Why didn't it feel that?"

"**Bastiodon, the Shield Pokemon,**" the Pokedex said. "**When attacked, they form a frontal wall with their faces to protect their young. Any frontal attack is repulsed. It is a docile Pokemon that feeds on grass and berries.**"

"You're kidding me!" KC cried. "That thing's a walking shield. This one's going to be a tough one to deal with."

Ryan shook his head. "Bastiodon's not your opponent."

"Huh?" KC asked. "Well, that's good."

The black and yellow Pokemon lumbered away a bit and started eating some grass. It looked up and seemed to pay the Charmander no mind. "Bastio..." it grunted, going back to eating its grass.

Ryan tossed out his last Poke Ball. A large dark green dragonfly Pokemon burst from it. Each segment had a red spot on it with the last had a black thorn on it. Two triangular black plates stood up like spikes on its back and another on its head. Its wings were red and white while its eyes were red with a black Y horizontally going across them. It looked similar to a plane.

"What's that?" KC asked.

"Yanmega," Ryan answered. "It can inflict shockwaves that cause internal injuries on foes just by churning its wings."

"Man, that would hurt!" KC groaned, a hand resting on his chest. If those shockwaves hit at a certain spot, it could be enough to kill. "Charmander, be really careful. Avoid those shockwaves!"

"Char!" Charmander nodded, fixing its gaze on the Bug-type Pokemon.

"Use Overheat!" KC ordered. "Fry that bug!"

Charmander opened its mouth and launched a blast of super-heated flames at Yanmega. The bug flew into the air, trying to out-fly the flames. Charmander tilted the blast and burnt Yanmega as it turned, unaware of the attack's shift. The Bug-type crashed to the ground and was hit again. When the flames vanished, a blackened Yanmega lay on the ground with smoke coming from its wings.

Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"We did it!" KC cried. "And without even getting hit once with those shockwaves!"

"Char char!" Charmander agreed, jumping into the air happily.

As the duo celebrated, they didn't notice the Bug-type Pokemon slowly staggering to its feet. Yanmega started churning its wings lightly to prevent causing shockwaves. Then it hovered in the air, patiently waiting to be noticed or ordered to attack its unsuspecting prey. Ryan smiled. _Never turn your back on an opponent, KC. Not even when you think you have them beaten._ "Air Slash,"

"Wha?" KC asked, turning towards Ryan. Upon seeing Yanmega charging at Charmander, he cried, "Charmander, hit the ground!"

"Char?" Charmander turned and saw the angry dragonfly-like Pokemon zooming straight at it, wings glowing silver. "Char! Char char char!" The Fire-type crashed to the ground, only to be hit in the back by a single wing. "Char!" it cried in pain.

Yanmega landed lightly on Ryan's outstretched arm, wings buzzing. KC dashed to the wounded lizard-like Pokemon's side. "Charmander, are you okay?" he asked, picking up the Fire-type.

KC returned his Pokemon, glaring at Yanmega. _So, even Overheat couldn't beat it fully. I'll have to be careful from now on around that guy._ "Ready to go for Round 3?" he asked.

Ryan pulled out a Poke Ball and returned his three Pokemon. He shook his head. "Brother's here," he answered.

"You have a brother?" KC asked.

"KC!" Luffy's voice shouted from nearby. "Where are you?"

"Oh, you meant my brother." KC realized. "I guess I have to go. We have to beat Mimzy today and head for the next city."

"Can I go with?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"To the next city," Ryan explained quietly. "Can I go with... you?"

KC blinked and then smiled. "I'll ask Mark. He's the supposed leader of our group but I'm sure he'll let you. I'd be glad to have you as an ally, Ryan."

Ryan looked away, nodding. "Thanks,"

"No problem! See you later!" KC called, running toward his older brother's voice.

Ryan just stood there, smiling. _I'm finally going to leave this city,_ he thought. _I won't have to put up with mom and dad's 'No Pokemon' policy. I can be a real trainer at last. And I'll get to travel with friends... my first true friends._ The brunette silent took off after KC, wanting to see who the raven-haired boy was traveling with.

_Inside of the Vermillion Gym..._

"This is _so_ stupid! When are they going to get here?!" Mimzy whined, pacing in front of a large stack of crates that lay against the gym wall. Rosalean was looking at her nails as she sat on the crates, quietly ignoring the blonde pest that was her teammate. Mimzy's Pikachu was perched on the crate above the redhead while Rosalean's Floatzel was curled up by her feet.

"Stop pacing already!" Rosalean growled. "I'm getting a headache from watching you do that."

"Then go somewhere else, stupid!" Mimzy shouted.

"Fine, I will." Rosalean said, hopping off the crates and walking towards the door. "Have fun beating the four of them by yourself."

"Four?! I thought there were only two of those stupid Snaggers!"

"Two more joined from Cerulean," Rosalean explained, leaning against the gym doors. "They're the sons of a certain Dr. Darien, a former scientist of our organization."

"They're _his_ stupid kids?!" Mimzy demanded. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to see the look on your face when they dropped in." Rosalean explained. "Don't worry, Mimzy. I'll be taking care of Dr. Darien's kids while you deal with the main duo, got it?"

"Whatever, stupid Rosalean," Mimzy grumbled. "I can take care of them on my own."

"Mimzy!" Rosalean barked, finally fed up with her co-worker's attitude. "Those guys beat Mist! Do you really think _you_ stand a chance?"

"..." Mimzy shrugged. "Maybe,"

Just as Rosalean was about to shout again, Floatzel tugged on her pant leg. Looking down, the redhead saw that her radio had a transmission. "It's from the goons outside," Rosalean announced. "They say that the Snaggers and Lt. Surge are beating them one by one. They're on their way here, Mimzy. You ready?"

"I'm always ready, stupid!" Mimzy growled. "Let's do this!"

"Right..." Rosalean sent the order to the goons and cut the transmission. "I'll meet them outside once they get here. Is that okay with you?"

"Whatever!" Mimzy waved her off. "Do what you want. I don't really care!"

Rosalean sighed and stepped outside, sitting on the steps. _You guys had better make this worth it. I'll make you pay for hurting Mist and Blazer. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it. Bring it on, Snaggers! I'm ready for you..._

_The center of Vermillion City, close to the gym..._

Mark, Luffy, Alex, and Lt. Surge were resting their Pokemon before the battle with Mimzy. As they were discussing strategies, KC and Ryan walked in. Luffy noticed the duo first. "KC, there you are! So, who won?" he asked.

"We cut the battle off halfway through." KC explained. "So, what's the plan for beating Mimzy?"

"We were just discussing that, KC." Mark said. He eyed Ryan warily. "What does he want?"

"Nothing yet," Ryan responded.

"Don't worry, Mark. He tried to beat Mimzy and lost, too!" KC exclaimed.

"See you later." Ryan muttered, turning and leaving. Once outside, the brunette turned and headed for the gym. _Might as well give it one more try,_ he thought.

"Did you guys find anymore Shadow Pokemon?" KC asked.

"No, but there are three in the gym," Alex replied. "A Pikachu and two others."

"Well, when do we jump in?" Lt. Surge asked, looking at Mark. "You know these guys better than we do. Should we just walk in and fight or wait a while?"

"KC, heal your Pokemon." Mark suggested. "We should get this fight over with quickly, don't you think?"

"I definitely do!" Alex cried.

Luffy nodded. "So do I. The faster, the better."

"I agree," Lt. Surge stated, folding his hands in front of his face. "I want to get my gym back before those Cipher babies wreck it. I'll show them the true power of a military lieutenant!"

"Uh, I think we get the point." KC muttered, handing his Poke Balls to Nurse Joy. "So, we're just gonna walk in and start fighting? Do you even have a plan?"

"Yeah, we do." Mark said. "Win. That's our plan."

"Doesn't sound like much of a plan. More like a goal." KC joked. He turned and retrieved his Poke Balls. "'Kay, I'm done. So, we're going now?"

"Yep!" Alex replied, hopping to the door. "If we go fast enough, we could reach the next town before nightfall."

_Yeah right,_ Mark thought, standing up to look out the doors. _We'll never make it before then. I guess we'll have to stay in Vermillion for the night and head out in the morning. I'll break it to her after the battle._ He headed out the doors and walked towards the gym.

"Holy!" KC cried. "This is the Vermillion Gym?!"

The gym looked like a huge warehouse covered in large yellow lightning bolts. Lt. Surge grinned and stepped toward the doors, his Raichu bounding after him. The four Snaggers looked at one another and then followed him. The taller man pushed the doors open, revealing a boxing-style arena. Surge looked proud as he stepped toward the edge of the gym and paused, looking around cautiously.

"Where's that girl, Mark?" Alex asked.

"I don't know but I bet she's somewhere around here," Mark replied, looking at the crates. "She's just waiting for the right moment to pounce on us."

"Scary!" KC yelped. "Just like a cat on a mouse."

"Of course, KC. What else did you expect?" Luffy asked. "I just wish that she would show herself already."

"Gladly!"

"Wha!" Luffy cried, falling backwards on the gym floor. "Where did that voice come from?"

"Right in front of you, stupid Snagger!" Mimzy stepped out from behind the crates, grinning. "What's the matter? Are you scared of me, stupid? I hope so. You'd be even stupider if you weren't!"

"Geez, does she like the word 'stupid' or something?" Alex asked.

Mark shrugged. "I guess she likes the word."

Surge stepped forward. "We challenge you to a battle, girl."

"Of course you do, stupid. What else would you be here for?" Mimzy asked, raising her hands. Her Pikachu followed her. "Did you stupid Snaggers beat Rosalean already? Stupid Rosalean must be weak or something. Oh well, let's get this stupid fight on the road!"

"Fine by us!" Mark replied. "Shadow Tyrogue!"

"Infernape, get in there!" Luffy ordered.

"Bulbasaur, you too!" KC called.

"Raichu, show her who's boss!" Lt. Surge commanded.

"Sneasel, you get in there too!" Alex shouted.

The five Pokemon prepared to fight. Mimzy's Pikachu stepped forward, cheeks crackling with black electricity. The Pikachu glared at Tyrogue in particular. The Fighting-type had once belonged to Dart but now was the Snaggers' Pokemon. That was considered a betrayal to Shadow Pokemon. "Ready to go?" Mimzy asked.

"Let's do this!" Luffy said. "Infernape, use Fire Spin!"

The monkey-like Pokemon opened its mouth and fired a large blast of flames at the little Pikachu. Shadow Pikachu jumped away, dodging each blow. Suddenly, pain erupted from the Pikachu's side as Tyrogue kicked it, throwing the Electric-type into a crate. The crate shattered, littering the gym floor with wooden splinters. Mimzy jumped away, screaming, "Stupid splinters!"

As Shadow Pikachu got back up, it felt something hit it. Small green seeds were hitting it and bouncing off, scattering on the floor. Then they started sprouting, wrapping around the Pikachu and draining its strength. "Leech Seed?!" Mimzy cried. "Stay out of this, you stupid brat! Pikachu, use Shadow Thunderbolt!"

Sparks exploded from the Shadow Pokemon's cheeks and electricity burnt the plants, reducing them to tiny black threads. Pikachu stepped out of them, smiling. More electricity sparked from its cheeks. "Now the battle _really_ begins, Snaggers!" Mimzy cried.

_Behind Vermillion Gym..._

"Flamethrower," Ryan said.

Camerupt released a blast of fire at the Floatzel, who pounced away with a burnt tail. The redhead woman, Rosalean, silently glared at the boy. _Who is he? He's not one of the Snaggers, is he? I've never seen him before._ The sound of Floatzel's cries dragged her from her thoughts. Floatzel had its teeth sunk into Camerupt's ear while the Fire-type was pressing one hoof into the otter-like Pokemon's stomach, trying to free its ear.

"Idiot! Water beats fire!" Rosalean smirked. "Shadow Jet!"

Floatzel released Camerupt's ear and opened its mouth. A powerful blast of water shot out and hit Camerupt clear in the face, forcing the cow-like Pokemon back. Camerupt let out a bellow, shaking its head to get rid of the water. Floatzel jumped away, happy with its success. Ryan frowned. _I should've traded Pokemon,_ he thought.

"Return," he ordered. Once Camerupt was gone, he pulled out another Poke Ball. "Bastiodon,"

The shield Pokemon came out, looking around curiously. Floatzel groaned. Why did it have to get the nearly-invincible Pokemon? Rosalean sighed. _I have to finish this quickly before the real Snaggers get here._ "Floatzel, return!" she ordered. "Swampert, get out here!" A huge blue Pokemon popped out. Swampert let out a growl upon seeing Ryan and Bastiodon. "Sorry but I'm limited on time, kid. I have to make this a quick battle."

"Huh?" Ryan asked. _What's she planning? If she's like Mimzy, then it's definitely not good._

"Swampert, use Shadow Pump!" Rosalean shouted.

Swampert threw back its head and then charge forward with a giant blast of water. The water crashed into Bastiodon's shield-like face, slowly pushing it backwards. Bastiodon started digging its feet into the ground in its attempt to gain leverage. Ryan started backing off, understanding Rosalean's plan. Then Bastiodon slipped and crashed to the ground, allowing the water to surge past it and hit Ryan. The brunette felt the water slam into him like a truck and crash him into the gym wall, possibly leaving an indent.

_I can't breathe!_ Ryan realized. Swamperts were capable of dishing out a Hydro Pump attack for several minutes without stopping. Bastiodon held it off for about a minute, so he had about four more to suffer through. _I'm going to die here..._

Suddenly, the water stopped. Ryan collapsed to the ground, coughing up water and just laying facedown on the ground. He focused on breathing and getting his heartbeat under control. Then he heard the pounding of something heavy moving along the ground. _Swamperts aren't heavy enough to make the earth shake. It must be carrying something._ Something slammed into the ground inches from his face. He turned his head and saw what it had been carrying. Ryan's Bastiodon lay wounded and bleeding beside him.

But the heavy thudding continued. What else was it carrying? Then Rosalean spoke. "Are you scared yet, kid? I'm sure you must've thought Swampert was going to kill you with that Shadow Pump attack. You might as well return your Pokemon, it's too wounded to fight now."

Slowly, Ryan pulled out a Poke Ball and returned his Bastiodon. Everything took even more effort now since his body had been put under pressure from that Shadow Pump. He was shaking from the effort. He slowly looked up to see Swampert towering over him, its hands raised above its head to keep a grip on its cargo. The brunette's eyes widened in fear.

"Now do you understand, kid?" Rosalean asked. "Don't worry, Swampert won't kill you. It'll just show you why you must never mess with Cipher. Don't be surprised if you end up being put in a wheelchair after this."

Swampert grinned viciously. Ryan's eyes remained locked on the giant object in its hands. He had heard that Swampert were capable of lifting them but he'd never seen it done before. Resting in the Swampert's three-fingered hands... was a giant boulder taken from the boulder ring surrounding Vermillion City's harbor.

"Say goodbye, little boy." Rosalean whispered.

_Inside Vermillion Gym..._

Mimzy's Pikachu leaped away, dodging a punch from Infernape. Sneasel was helping Tyrogue up to its feet, glaring daggers at their opponent. KC had returned Bulbasaur and thrown out Charmander. Mimzy smiled as she watched the group. _Stupid Snaggers! They should no better than to attack directly. But why isn't that stupid Gym Leader helping?_

Surge was standing off to the side, watching the Shadow Pikachu bounce around as it dodged or launched attacks. His Raichu was growling in frustration. Why couldn't it be in this battle too? What was taking its trainer so long to make his decision?!

Just as Sneasel was about to let out an Ice Beam, a loud crash sounded from outside of back walls of the gym. Everyone, even Mimzy, jumped at the loud sound. "What the heck's going on back there?!" Mimzy growled. _Stupid Rosalean better have a good reason for this!_

The sound ended, only to be replaced by a slow thudding. "I'll go check it out." Luffy said. "You think you can handle things here without me, Mark?"

Mark nodded and Luffy ran for the back doors with Infernape, racing outside. A loud cry hit the green-haired boy's ears and he turned to see Tyrogue crumple to the ground from Shadow Pikachu's Shadow Slam. "Tyrogue, return!" he ordered. "Your turn, Mightyena!"

The large Dark-type came out. Seeing the Shadow Pokemon, she instantly bristled and started snarling a warning. Sneasel bounded to Mightyena's side, ready to fight again. The duo charged as one, striking and snapping at the Electric-type. Shadow Pikachu dodged most of the strikes, occasionally getting nips and cuts from sharp claws and fangs. Then the Pikachu made a mistake. It pounced forward, sinking its teeth into Mightyena's ear. The Dark-type howled and grabbed Pikachu's tail in her teeth, ripping the mouse-like Pokemon off. She shook the Shadow Pokemon around, furious, and finally tossed it into the air.

"Holy!" KC cried.

"How the heck did she do that?" Alex demanded.

"What do you expect? You attack her, she'll attack back but worse!" Mark chuckled. "You saw what happened to Will's Manectric. The same thing's happening to Mimzy's Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" Mimzy shouted. "Use Shadow Thunderbolt! Now!"

"Pika...CHUUUU!!" The Shadow Pokemon released a giant blast of electricity and aimed it at Mightyena, who was jumping up to grab it again. Sneasel raced up Mightyena's back and jumped up, raking his claws along Pikachu's side. The electricity built up and exploded, sending both Pokemon flying. Mightyena caught Sneasel and landed on the ground. Shadow Pikachu crashed in Mimzy, sending both to the ground.

"Sneasel! Are you okay?" Alex asked, dashing toward the Pokemon. Mightyena handed Sneasel over, smoke rising from the Ice/Dark-type's singed fur. Alex returned her Pokemon. "You get a nice long rest, okay?"

"Sneas," Sneasel nodded.

"Great job, Mightyena!" Mark congratulated, stroking her back and white fur. "Now for the capture." He threw a Snag Ball just as Mimzy sat up, cradling her precious Pokemon in her arms.

When her Pikachu vanished from her arms in a flash of red light, the blonde jumped to her feet. "Give her back!" she shouted.

"Sorry, but I caught her." Mark said. Inside, he felt slightly guilty. _It's these guys' fault that these Pokemon are like this. Even if it hurts, I have to help these Pokemon get their hearts back... even if it pains me to take them from their trainers._

He checked its stats: it was female, 13 lbs, 1'04", Static ability, and was Level 18.

"Fine! Then take this!" Mimzy cried, throwing out another Poke Ball. "Jolteon, show them that I mean business!"

The Shadow Pokemon jumped out, glowing red eyes glaring. Its body with black with the spiky fur around its neck was bright red. Sharp claws adorned its paws and two sharp fangs poked out of its mouth. It let out a growl, putting itself in an attack stance.

"I've got a feeling that this isn't going to be good." Lt. Surge grunted. "Raichu, get ready."

"Rai!" Raichu replied, cheeks sparking and tail thrashing.

"Well, now the stupid Gym Leader is getting involved. Finally!" Mimzy taunted. "Let's do this! Jolteon, use Shadow Missile!"

The Electric-type let out a howl and its fur stiffened until it looked like spikes. Glowing red and black needles shot from the fur like missiles, launching directly at its opponents... humans and Pokemon alike.

_Outside of Vermillion Gym..._

Ryan just lay there. _Am I dead yet?_ He'd seen the Swampert drop the boulder on him but the brunette felt no pain. Had it missed? He turned it head and saw a large gray foot near his head. He looked the other way and saw a second foot. Did someone save him? But who? He heard a grunting noise and slowly looked up. It was a Machamp, gripping the boulder with all four arms. It slowly heaved the boulder over its head before throwing it off to the side. The Fighting-type backed off and a pair of arms pulled the brunette to his feet. "Are you okay?"

Ryan looked up and saw KC's older brother, Luffy. When the question registered, he nodded. "Yeah," he muttered, reaching up to push his glasses back up. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Luffy replied, grinning. "Hey! You're the kid that KC was with today and yesterday. What're _you_ doing here?"

"One more time," Ryan said. "Try to win one more time."

"Huh?" Then it hit the raven-haired boy. _He was trying to fight Mimzy!_

Rosalean decided to interrupt. "Who are you and what are you doing interfering with my fight?"

"What does it look like?" Luffy growled. "I was saving my friend from becoming a pancake. What do you think _you're_ doing, trying to crush him under a rock?"

"Finishing the battle quickly so I can get back to looking for the Snaggers." Rosalean said.

"Too late, lady. We're already here." Luffy pointed out.

Rosalean froze. _They're already... here?! No way! This kid must've gotten here just seconds before the Snaggers did. If only I had stayed there a moment longer, I would have had them. No way am I letting them get away with what they did to Mist. Never!_

"You better get out of here, Ryan." Luffy advised. "I'll deal with her while you get back to your house."

"No," Ryan disagreed. Once he was capable of standing on his own, he walked towards Bastiodon and returned it. "I'll fight with you,"

"She already proved that she could beat you. You want her to really kill you next time?" Luffy demanded.

"What about you?" Ryan asked.

"I already had to fight one of these guys in Cerulean City!" Luffy shouted. "I know how these guys fight. They attack trainer and Pokemon alike. They don't even care if they nearly kill you or your Pokemon, as long as they win."

"Well said, Snagger." Rosalean complimented. "Ready to fight?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said.

"Me too," Ryan muttered, standing beside the older boy. "I'm not scared."

"Well, fine by me. I'll kill two birds with one stone." Rosalean replied, smiling. "Swampert, ready?"

"Swampert swamp!" Swampert roared.

Machamp, you ready to fight?" Luffy asked.

"Machamp champ!" Machamp cried, nodding.

Ryan threw out a Poke Ball. "Yanmega,"

"Yan yan!" the dragonfly-like Pokemon buzzed.

"Let's do this!" Luffy cried. The second battle is underway!

_Inside Vermillion Gym..._

The smoke cleared from the Shadow Missile attack. Charmander and Alex's Milotic were down, Raichu and Mightyena were hurt but still standing, and their trainers were all safe. The Snaggers and Lt. Surge had taken shelter behind the crates, surviving the onslaught of attacks. Alex and KC returned their Pokemon and KC threw out Rotom. Alex only had Metapod and Goldeen, neither being strong enough to fend off Shadow Jolteon.

The trainers stepped out, minus Alex, and saw the damage. The glowing red and black needles were everywhere, making walking treacherous. Raichu and Mightyena were at the center of it all, bleeding as they pulled out the tiny needles. Mark ran forward and helped Mightyena while Raichu raced back to Lt. Surge.

Mimzy smiled. "If it makes you feel better, no one has ever beaten my Shadow Jolteon. I've never had to bring it out before now." She explained. "That mean you stupid Snaggers have quite the stupid honor of seeing it in battle."

"Nice," Alex said sarcastically. "Real nice,"

"I really wish we didn't have that honor." KC grumbled.

"I have to agree with you there." Mark muttered.

"This just makes it all the more fun." Lt. Surge chuckled. "Now she's really pulling out her true power!"

"Why does he have to be so positive about this?" Alex asked KC. "His Raichu nearly became a living pincushion and he's talking about the fun of a challenge."

"He was a military lieutenant. I think he has the right to be amazed by the thought of a 'true' challenge." KC replied, shrugging. "I think so, anyways."

Jolteon let out a low snarl. Why were they ignoring it? Angry, the Electric-type charged at Mark and Mightyena. Its fur started glowing, signaling another Shadow Missile attack. Lt. Surge spotted the danger and bellowed, "Mark, get out of there!"

Mightyena rammed her trainer, throwing Mark backwards a few steps. The Shadow Missile fired, aimed at Mark. The Dark-type launched herself in front of her trainer, taking the damage from the attacks. Once, twice, three times Shadow Missile struck the dog-like Pokemon. When Jolteon stopped for a breather, it grinned as Mightyena crashed to the ground.

"Mightyena!" Mark cried. His Mightyena didn't get back up. She was beaten.

Mimzy started laughing. "That stupid mutt couldn't beat me if it tried!" Jolteon still stood by the fallen Mightyena, waiting to see if she would get back up. If she did, it would be her last try.

One of Mark's Snag Balls started wiggling. Pulling it out, it opened before Mark pushed the button. Shadow Eevee popped out, whimpering for attention. Upon seeing Mightyena, its 'mommy', the little Normal-type dashed towards her. Mark shouted for Eevee to come back but it paid no heed. All Eevee saw was its 'mommy', unaware of the danger it was running towards.

Mimzy noticed the little Pokemon and smirked. "Stupid little Pokemon should know better than to run into trouble." She said. "Shadow Jolteon, use Shadow Bite on that stupid runt!"

"No, don't!" Mark shouted.

"Leave Eevee alone! It's just a baby!" Alex screamed.

"Raichu!" Surge cried. The Electric-type raced towards the trio, intent on stopping the attack. But it was too late.

Eevee halted beside its 'mommy', finally realizing the danger. Jolteon surge forward, jaws open and ready to tear. There was a loud scream and blood splattered on the gym floor. The four trainers and Raichu froze, time seeming to stop. It was too late and no one could've stopped it. A loud howl rung through the air. Mimzy smiled. "I win." She said.

**Next Chapter:** Thunderstorms and Sacrifice

"You guys ready?" Mark asked, looking at KC and Lt. Surge. When they nodded, he turned to Mimzy. "Looks like we win this fight."

"How? Are you going to run away since this stupid smog is in the air?" Mimzy asked. "I don't have to see you to beat you."

"Well, neither do we." KC replied. "Rotom, use Thundershock!"

"Sparks, Thunderbolt!"

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

The three Electric-types shot their electricity into the smog, hitting the ceiling before it scattered. Electricity shot everywhere, hitting anything metallic or anything that got in its path. Mimzy yelped as the sparks hit her earrings, shocking her. Only then did their plan become clear.

"A thunderstorm," she whispered. "They made a giant thunderstorm with the smog."

--

I'm sorry that this is late (bows furiously)! The last tests of the year stole my creativity but I finally got it back... two days later. Anyways, I know this is a horrid cliffhanger but don't kill me for it. No, Eevee isn't dead for something bad does happen (dodges pitchforks and other assorted sharp objects). Please don't kill the author!!

Anyways, I hope you like the chapter and continue reading despite my evilness in this chapter. Please review!


	21. Chapter 21: Thunderstorms and Sacrifice

Hooray

Hooray! I'm glad that everyone loved the chapter despite the cliffhanger (dodges more sharp objects). Summer vacation is awesome! So, this is the ending of the Mimzy battle. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews everyone, I couldn't have done this without you guys! Onto the chapter!

Chapter 21: Thunderstorms and Sacrifice

Mark slowly opened his eyes, praying that Eevee wasn't dead. When he looked up, a mixture of happiness, shock, and terror was on his face. Alex, KC, and Lt. Surge looked up and had the same looks. Mimzy's smile slowly faded as she registered what she was seeing. "No way," she whispered.

Jolteon's eyes widened as its prey started growling. This wasn't the one it had been aiming at! Using her front legs to keep her standing, Mightyena turned and glared at the Electric-type. Jolteon's fangs were dug into the Dark-type's shoulders while Eevee was on its back beneath its 'mommy', crying. Blood drops decorated its tiny gray face, Eevee's wide red eyes locked on Mightyena.

"Mightyena!" Alex cried.

"She threw herself in front of that Jolteon to protect it." Lt. Surge muttered. "Looks like she wasn't out of the fight just yet. It just took a baby in harm's way to pull her to her feet."

"Great job, Mightyena!" Mark shouted. "Eevee, return!"

Once Eevee was gone, Mightyena narrowed her eyes. She twisted her head and chomped down on Jolteon's neck, ripping it free and tossing it halfway across the gym. Jolteon landed with a crash and staggered to its paws, blood running down its face. Mightyena stood up and threw back her head, howling. Then she charged, biting Jolteon's shoulders and smashing him into the gym wall. Jolteon howled in agony before it was dropped. The Dark-type jumped backwards, growling.

"Jolteon!" Mimzy cried. "You stupid Snaggers and your stupid Pokemon never give up, do you?"

"We can't give up until it's assured that we will win." Mark replied, smirking. "And it looks like we'll win."

"I highly doubt it, stupid." Mimzy said.

Outside the front doors of the gym, Dr. Pine silently watched the battle. "I might as well help them out." He muttered. "Shadow Houndoom, come out."

The Fire/Dark-type Pokemon appeared, growling. Its body was mostly the same except for the glowing red eyes and a more vicious attitude. Just as the Houndoom threw back his head to let out a howl, Pine pounced on it and shut its muzzle. Houndoom started whimpering and struggling to get free.

"No, bad boy! Do not howl here!" hissed Pine. "You'll give me away. Just use Shadow Smog through those doors, okay?"

Shadow Houndoom nodded and Dr. Pine released him. Sticking its red muzzle through the crack in the gym doors, Houndoom blew a ton of black smog into the arena. It started rising to the ceiling, looking like black clouds. Houndoom pulled away and Pine shut the doors.

"Good boy!" he whispered. "Let's get out of here." Just as they were about to teleport away, he looked back at the gym. _I hope you understand what I'm doing for you kids. This is treason to Cipher, but Shadow Master insisted on it. If you can't figure this out then you should stop fighting Cipher, Snaggers. I just pray that you know what to do._ The violet-haired man teleported away.

Inside, the kids noticed the smog. "Where did all of this come from?" Alex asked, coughing. She pulled up the front of her shirt and covered her mouth with it, easing her coughs.

"It didn't look all that smoky outside!" KC exclaimed, ducking behind the crates and sitting down beside Alex. He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cough fine, KC." Alex replied.

"Is everyone alright?" Lt. Surge called. "Geez, I didn't see this coming. This battle is definitely something else. It's nothing like my other battles."

"Your other battles didn't involve Cipher, Surge." Mark said, pulling his jacket collar over his mouth. "How are we supposed to fight when we can't even see our enemy?"

"Rai rai!" Surge's Raichu cried. "CHUUU!!" Electricity shot into the black smog, leaving a pale flash of light. Small sparks began shooting across the surface of the thick smog, like lightning shooting across thunderclouds.

That's when it hit Surge. "Mark, we can use this smog to our advantage!"

"How? I don't see how we can hit her when we can't see her." The green-haired Snagger groaned. Suddenly, sparks zapped his hand as he reached toward his Poke Balls. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Why do you think it hurt, Mark?" Surge asked.

"Because electricity is attracted to metal, that's why! What does that have to do with anything?" Mark demanded.

KC smiled and stood up. "We can use the smog and electricity to our advantage! If we can pump the smog clouds full of electricity, it'll have to hit her if she's wearing anything metal. Then we can beat her!"

"Yeah, but the same thing could happen to us!" Alex cried. "The electricity could hit us if we're wearing anything metal. Poke Balls, Pokedex's, belts..."

"We're gonna have to risk it, Alex." Mark said. "Mightyena, return!"

Mimzy looked around, trying to locate the Snaggers. "Stupid Snaggers with their stupid Pokemon. Where did this stupid smog come from, anyway?" She returned Jolteon and continued to look for them. "Where are they?!"

"You guys ready?" Mark asked, looking at KC and Lt. Surge. When they nodded, he turned to Mimzy. "Looks like we win this fight."

"How? Are you going to run away since this stupid smog is in the air?" Mimzy asked. "I don't have to see you to beat you."

"Well, neither do we." KC replied. "Rotom, use Thundershock!"

"Sparks, Thunderbolt!"

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

The three Electric-types shot their electricity into the smog, hitting the ceiling before it scattered. Electricity shot everywhere, hitting anything metallic or anything that got in its path. Mimzy yelped as the sparks hit her earrings, shocking her. Only then did their plan become clear.

"A thunderstorm," she whispered. "They made a giant thunderstorm with the smog."

_Outside of Vermillion Gym..._

Rosalean growled. Her Swampert lay battered and bleeding on the ground in front of her. These two, who she now was certain were fellow Snaggers, had defeated her precious Shadow Swampert. _Stupid brats,_ she thought. _So, the older boy is the one who hurt Blazer. I'll put him in a world of pain for hurting him. And the same thing will happen to their leader, Mark, for hurting Mist._

Ryan looked up, smelling a foul scent. The back doors of the gym were open a crack but a strange blackish-purple smoke was pouring out of it. _What's that stuff? Smoke?_ "Luffy, look." He said, tugging on the raven-haired boy's sleeve.

"Why?" Luffy turned and spotted the smog. "Oh man. What's happening in there?"

_I hope KC and everyone are okay,_ Ryan prayed. The brunette turned and looked at Rosalean. _We have to finish this quickly. The others could be in danger. Who knows what Mimzy is doing to them in there?!_

Just as Rosalean pulled a third Poke Ball from her belt, her radio came to life. "Agent 42... mission aborted... too strong... return to base... over..." It fell silent once more.

The redhead woman glared at her radio and started to back away, growling, "We'll finish this some other day, Snaggers. Some other day." She turned tail and ran, teleporting back to the island.

Luffy grinned. "Well, it looks like we win again." He said, tipping his hat brim up out of his eyes. "We better check on the others."

Suddenly, a giant flash of light and a loud 'crack' sounded inside of the gym. The window shattered, sparks shooting across its glass surface. The duo just watched in stunned silence as a scream ripped through the air. The smog rushed out the windows and doors, and the smell of something burnt hit their noses. Ryan turned to Luffy. "Now?" he asked.

"Now!" Luffy cried. The two boys ran at the doors. "KC! We're coming, guys!"

_Inside of Vermillion Gym..._

A huge blast of electricity arced over the group before shooting down, striking Mimzy and her Jolteon head-on. Windows shattered and smog raced out, leaving a burnt smell behind. Mimzy threw back her head and screamed. The electricity built up and it exploded, throwing Lt. Surge and the Snaggers into the gym wall. When the light died down, Mark looked up and smiled. "We won, guys. We won!"

"Yahoo! We won again!" Alex cried, jumping into the air.

Luffy and Ryan burst into the gym. "KC, guys, are you all okay?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"We won, big brother!" KC replied. "We used the smog as a giant thundercloud and the built-up electricity hit Mimzy, exploding. We won!"

"Is Mimzy okay?" Ryan asked.

The group stopped their cheering to look for the blonde Cipher Gym Leader. Alex pointed her out on the far side of the gym. Her clothes were blackened with soot and her hair sticking out in different directions from the static. She was slowly staggering to her feet, lifting out a Poke Ball to return her Jolteon. "Stupid lightning..." she grumbled.

"That had to hurt." Lt. Surge chuckled. "Getting hit by lightning is a pretty bad thing, especially for an Electric-type user."

"Shut up, you stupid gym leader!" Mimzy barked, stumbling over her feet. "I may have lost but you stupid Snaggers can't beat all of Cipher! Never!"

"Well..." Alex snickered before continuing. "We beat you, _stupid_."

Mimzy growled, clenching her fists. "You stupid brat!" she screamed. "You have no idea of the power you guys are messing with, do you? You'll know when you die!"

"Yeah, that'll happen long after Cipher is gone." Mark said, crossing his arms. "Hand over the Cipher badge and we'll be on our way."

"And get out of my gym while you're at it, kid!" Lt. Surge called.

Mimzy growled and tossed her Cipher badge on the ground. It was a blood red lightning bolt. "Fine! Take the stupid thing and get moving." She spat, stalking toward the gym doors. "I'm outta here, stupid Snaggers!"

"See you later!" Luffy cried.

"Not!" KC added.

"Guys, stop that!" Alex said. "You guys are so childish."

"Are not!" the both shouted.

"Whatever." The blue-haired girl muttered. "Mark, now what do we do?"

"Well, I've got to fix up my gym." Lt. Surge grumbled.

"Thanks anyway for the help, Surge." Mark thanked, holding out his hand. "I hope Vermillion remains safe with you."

"Oh, don't worry." Surge replied, shaking the younger boy's hand. "Vermillion will be safe as long as I'm here. Cipher won't lay a finger on this place ever again."

"Good, 'cause we can't keep coming back to save you." KC laughed.

"I never needed saving, baby." Surge said. "I just needed some assistance, that's all."

"Yeah right." Ryan muttered. "Bye KC," The brunette turned and walked out the gym doors. He didn't expect for someone to grab his hand and pull him back.

"What do you mean 'bye'?" KC asked. "I thought you were coming with us."

"Huh?" Ryan looked at Mark hopefully.

"Well, he fought real hard against that redhead woman outside the gym." Luffy commented. "He was fighting all alone and did a good job of it up until I jumped in. I say we let him join. Cipher might think he's one of us, Mark."

The green-haired Snagger looked at Ryan. "Well, if Cipher mistakes him as one of us, Cipher might come back." He grumbled. "I guess he can come if it means Vermillion will be safe. Geez, our group is slowly getting bigger."

"So what?" Alex exclaimed. "The more, the merrier! Welcome to the gang, uh... what's your name?"

"Ryan," the brunette said. "Ryan Malar. Thank you."

"No problem, Ryan." Luffy replied. "Now Cipher will really have to watch out for the five Snaggers, right?"

"I guess so." Mark muttered. "We'll stay in the Pokemon Center tonight and head out tomorrow. Ryan, you better tell your parents that you're leaving."

"That's the thing," Ryan said, looking down. "I don't want to tell my parents."

"Why not?" Alex asked. "Your parents have the right to know where you're going."

"His parents hate Pokemon, okay?" KC butted in. "They might not let him come with us, guys."

"Now what do we do?" Luffy asked.

The five Snaggers walked down the steps, exiting the Vermillion Gym. Just as they headed for the Pokemon Center, Surge spoke up. "I'll tell them."

"What? You'd really do that for us?" KC cried. "Thanks!"

"Hang on a second, KC." Mark said, holding out an arm to prevent KC from running up and hugging the taller man. "Why would you do this for us? We saved your gym but you already repaid us by helping get the Cipher Gym Badge." He held out the red lightning bolt.

"I'm doing it because Ryan finally has his chance to leave Vermillion." Surge said gruffly. "His parents don't like Pokemon and refused to let their kid have one. I see him sneak out every once in a while and come back with a little Pokemon to care for. He's been dreaming of leaving this place and really becoming a Pokemon trainer. I want you guys to give him that chance now."

"You're really willing to do that?" Alex asked.

Ryan smiled faintly. _I guess he really came through for me this time. Thanks, Surge. You're keeping your promise..._

_Flashback, 10 years ago_

Surge walked back to his gym, his Raichu darting alongside him. It was raining lightly. Suddenly, the Electric-type raced away from him and poked its head into a bush. A startled squeak issued from the bush. Curious, the Gym Leader walked over and knelt down, bushing the branches apart to reveal a little boy with short brown hair and glasses. The taller blonde recognized the child immediately. "Ryan Malar? What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Helping the little bird." He answered.

Then Surge noticed the little bundle in the boy's arms. Wrapped in a blue blanket was a Pidgey with its wing at an odd angle. No doubt it was broken. "Where did you find him?" he asked.

The boy pointed behind him. "In the clearing back there. Mommy and daddy won't let me keep Pokemon so I've been trying to help him here."

"Hey, give him here. I know what to do to take care of him." Surge said gently. Ryan placed the tiny bird in his hand. Surge stood up and headed for the Pokemon Center. "If you want to come, you can." Ryan followed him.

Once they entered the Pokemon Center, Lt. Surge handed Nurse Joy the little Pokemon and explained the situation to her. The redhead woman took the tiny bird to the medical ward to take care of its wing. Ryan and Surge waited quietly for Nurse Joy to come back. "So, you want to be a Pokemon trainer?" he asked.

Ryan nodded. "I want to be one but mommy and daddy are scared of Pokemon. They won't let me have one. I don't even think they'd let me leave home because of them."

Surge grinned. "I'll tell you what, Ryan. When you get old enough and some kids you like come to Vermillion, I'll plan out how to get you with them before your parents realize what's going on. That sound okay?"

"Yeah! Then I can go travel the world and be a real Pokemon trainer!" Ryan cheered. "But what if mommy and daddy find out about it?"

"I'm sure you'll be long gone by then, kid." Surge promised.

"Okay." Ryan said, smiling. "I really can be a Pokemon trainer."

_End flashback_

Surge turned to Ryan. "Ryan, how about you head home and spend tonight with your parents. But don't mention anything about our plans, okay?"

Ryan nodded. "Right. Thanks."

"See you in the morning, Ryan!" KC cried.

Ryan nodded and raced home. _Tomorrow, I'll finally be leaving this place. It took ten years but it was all worth it in the end. I'll finally be a real Pokemon trainer!_

The other four Snaggers headed to the Pokemon Center. They're going to need their rest for tomorrow on Route 11. Once they got to the Pokemon Center, Alex noticed something about the docks. "Hey, the S.S. Anne is leaving!"

"At least it's fixed." KC said. "I wonder where the old man is going in her."

"It looks like he's headed for Pallet Town." Luffy muttered. "But that ship does go around the world, so of course the S.S. Anne will have to go past there."

"Let's just check in and get some sleep, guys." Mark groaned, walking in. The other three followed him inside. When KC turned to look at the S.S. Anne one last time, he spotted a young woman with short black hair in a ponytail leaning against the ship's railing. She stared back at him before turning away. "KC, come on!" Mark shouted. The raven-haired boy dashed inside, unable to get that strange woman out of his head.

_On the S.S. Anne..._

The raven-haired woman entered her room on the cruise ship and flopped onto her bed. Her ice blue eyes looked up at the ceiling. _Those four kids again,_ she thought. _Could they be the Snaggers that are defying Cipher? If so, I may have just found some future allies._

"Gardevoir voir,"

"What is it, Eden?" the teen asked. "I haven't touched that egg if that is what you're asking." She turned to glare at her Gardevoir.

The Psychic type sat quietly on the bed beside her trainer, brushing her green three-fingered hands over a pitch black egg. The elegant white ballroom gown that her species wore was spread out around her body, covering her long legs. The red horn-like growths on its chest and back moves with her breathing, and her bright red eyes were closed. Eden continued to brush her hands over the treasured egg that she discovered on the group not long ago.

"Eden, you're ignoring me again." The girl growled. "You know that I hate being ignored."

The girl's Arcanine lay curled up beside her bed, snoozing. Arcane, the name given to him by his trainer, was too tired to engage in another one-sided bicker between the two. Though you couldn't actually call it a bicker since the girl was the only one talking. The Fire-type yawned and fell back to sleep.

The girl noticed. "Arcane, you are such a lazy Pokemon. Though, I guess I'm the same way minus the Pokemon part." She rolled over onto her back. "I hope this cruise passes quickly so I can see Prof. Oak about my assignment."

"Fearow fearow!"

"AAAH!!" The girl jumped backward, glaring at the brown bird Pokemon that poked its head up from under the bed. "Sinner, don't do that. You scared the living daylights out of me, you silly bird!" She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the Pokemon. "Take that!"

"Fearow!!" the bird cawed as the pillow smacked into its face.

"Having fun, miss?" a butler asked.

"Yes, we are." The girl replied. "When are we going to get there?"

"We'll be in Pallet Town in three days, miss." The butler informed the girl. "I hope you enjoy your stay with us, miss."

"Sure, whatever!" the girl barked. "And please, stop calling me 'miss'! It's Leena!"

"...um, yes." The butler muttered. "If you need anything, just call me, mi—I mean, Leena."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." Leena said, smirking.

The butler closed the door, feeling very uncomfortable about that smirk. Leena lay down on her side, looking out the circular window. "I hope this trip passes quickly. If that was them, then I have a lot of ground to cover to catch up with them."

Arcane looked up and yawned again.

Leena glared at him. "Oh, hush up, Arcane." She grumbled.

_Vermillion City, Ryan's house..._

Ryan walked in the door of his house. He looked around, taking in everything front the doormat under his feet to the dust he could just barely see under the couch. Everything he had become so used to. Now he was leaving all of this behind. _I'll miss this place,_ he thought. _But now my dream will finally come true._

"Ryan, honey!" his mom called. "Is that you? Where have you been all day?"

The brunette entered the kitchen and saw his mother's smiling face as she cooked dinner. "Out," he answered. _No, not this time. I have to give her a full answer._ "I've been outside with my friends, mom. What's for dinner?"

"Well, tonight we're having--?!" She froze. "Honey, did you just speak two full sentences to me?"

"Yes. Why?" Ryan asked cautiously.

Time seemed to stop for a second and then sped up again. Mrs. Malar twirled around and hugged her son, crying. "Honey, come here! Ryan's finally talking to us again!" she cried.

"He is?" Mr. Malar entered the room. "Ryan, you're actually talking again?!"

"Why wouldn't I be talking, dad? I just didn't want to talk that much, that's all." Ryan said.

Mr. Malar hugged Ryan too. "I don't believe it! You're really talking again!"

The duo stood there, hugging their son. Ryan smiled, feeling guilty inside. _This'll be the last time I ever see them this happy. How will they feel when they realize that I'm gone tomorrow?_ He hugged them back, smiling.

"I love you, mom. I love you, dad." Ryan said.

"We love you too, Ryan!" They both cried.

Night came all too soon. As Ryan climbed into bed, he set his alarm for 6:00 am. His mother stood in the doorway, smiling. "Goodnight, Ryan."

"Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, dad." Ryan replied, kissing his mother.

As the door closed, Ryan looked out the window at the night sky. He always loved the way the ocean reflected the stars in the sky. _I'm gonna miss Vermillion, but I have to take this chance. My dream is finally coming true but at what cost?_ He curled up under the covers and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

_The next morning, Pokemon Center..._

"Alex? Alex! Time to get up!" Luffy said, shaking the blue-haired girl. "Come on! Get up already!"

"Alex will sleep in if she sees the chance." Mark pointed out. "We usually never get up this early, so you can't really blame her."

"But we have to get up early so that we can get Ryan out of here." KC complained. "We have to get going before his parents wake up!"

"Alex, get up right now!" Luffy finally shouted and shoved her off of the bed.

"Oof!" Alex yelped. "What was that for?!"

"We have to leave! Now!" the raven-haired boy barked. "Ryan isn't going to wait forever for us!"

"Fine, I'm up! I'm up, Mr. Bossy!" Alex growled.

Luffy took a deep breathe to calm down. "Sorry, Alex. I'm just hyped up about having a new friend and going to a new city."

"Well, learn to chill or I'll have Sneasel turn you into a block of ice." She threatened.

Luffy backed away. "Scary. Mark, is she always like this?"

"Yep," Mark said, sliding the straps of his bag over his shoulders. "That's typical Alex for you."

"And you have a crush on her?!" he hissed at his little brother. KC nodded, resulting in Luffy crashing to the ground in shock. "I live with an insane group of friends!"

"Well, you chose to." Mark replied. "Hurry up, everyone. We have to get going before the sun gets too high into the sky."

"Got it, Mark!" Alex chirped, packing the rest of her stuff away and picking up Sneasel. "I'm ready!"

"Is she always that nice to you?" Luffy asked, snatching up his toothbrush from the bathroom.

"Nope," Mark muttered. "If I do anything wrong in her opinion, she pulls a tantrum on me in a second. I can tell you from experience, it's not pretty."

After KC and Luffy were all packed up, the group of four Pokemon trainers left the Pokemon Center and headed toward the east exit that led to Route 11 and Diglett's Cave. After a quick discussion, they agreed to head down Diglett's Cave to see what was down there. As they got closer to the exit, KC raced forward as he saw his brunette friend. "Hey, Ryan!" he cried.

Ryan nodded and pointed down Route 11. "We go there?" he asked.

KC nodded. "That's right, but we'll go down Diglett's Cave to see what's there."

"Okay," Ryan replied.

Lt. Surge stopped on his way toward the Malar house to speak with them. "You kids better hit the road. Mr. and Mrs. Malar are going to have the whole town searched once they realize you're gone, Ryan. I won't tell them where you're going since I don't even know."

"Thanks, Surge. We owe you one for this." Mark said.

"Don't bother with it." Surge grunted. "On second thought, I have an idea. You can owe me by keeping Ryan safe. I don't want any news reports stating that a young boy was murdered in an alley somewhere."

"I promise that that's never gonna happen, sir." Luffy promised.

"I'll hold you to that promise, all four of you. Or should I say five?" Surge joked.

"Five," Ryan replied calmly. "I can care for myself."

"Okay then. All five of you guys stay safe." Surge ordered. "Alex, you want to do a quick battle to get your badge?"

"Nah, I think I'll have enough battling to do today." Alex said, waving it off. "I wonder if Cipher Gym Badges will get me into the Kanto League."

"I highly doubt it, Alex." Mark deadpanned.

"Come on, at least have some spirit!" Alex cried. "You guys have no imagination whatsoever!"

"We're just telling it like it is." Luffy stated, holding his arms in front of his face. "Though, maybe Prof. Oak could pull a few strings to make it happen."

"Quit bickering and get going, you kids!" Surge barked. "I'm going to give you guys a five minute head-start, so you better make good use of it."

"Got it. See you later!" KC cried.

The group waved goodbye and started off on Route 11. Just as they neared the entrance of Diglett's Cave, they heard voices. Ryan froze up upon hearing them. Two people ran toward them, shouting. "Ryan, come back! What are you doing?!" It was the Malar's, Ryan's parents. "Ryan, sweetheart! Where are you going?"

"Oh no!" Alex groaned. "They must have found out earlier than expected."

As the duo reached the group, they embraced their son. "Sweetheart, I thought you wanted to stay home. Sweetie, why are you doing this? Did we do something wrong? Please, answer me!" Mrs. Malar sobbed.

"..." Ryan remained silent.

"Ryan, you are coming home this instant!" Mr. Malar snapped. "There's tons of Pokemon out there that could hurt you or kill you. You're safer at home!"

"That's not true!" KC cried.

Mrs. Malar turned to the raven-haired boy. "You all should just go home to your parents. Pokemon are dangerous creatures, not some household pet! Now, go on! Go home!"

"Quit telling us what to do!" Mark shouted, silencing the adults. "You don't understand a thing about Pokemon! Sure, some could hurt or kill but not unless you threaten them. Just because you're too afraid of Pokemon doesn't mean your son is!"

"Now, see here!" Mr. Malar started.

"No, _you_ see here!" Mark interrupted. "By staying here, your son is putting all of Vermillion in danger! All five of us are considered criminals by a top secret organization that wants to rule the world by enslaving Pokemon. Most people have ties to the kind of life. KC and Luffy's father escaped them and their mother died because of them! Do you guys want to die the same way?!"

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Malar cried. "Lt. Surge, I demand that this boy be placed under house arrest and his parents informed of this!"

"Well, too bad for you! You can put me under house arrest but my parents, my entire family, are dead or have disowned me!" the green-haired Snagger snarled.

"Surge, tell this boy to listen to reason!" Mr. Malar complained.

"I'm afraid they're right about you and your son." The tall Gym Leader explained. "Ryan and these kids are in deep trouble and are the only ones who can save the world. We haven't told the public about this yet so you two better hush up about it. If Ryan wants to go train Pokemon, let him!"

"We're not leaving him all alone in the wilderness with a bunch of insane children." Mrs. Malar countered. "Ryan, sweetie, you want to stay home. Right?"

"No," Ryan said.

"Huh?" the two Malar's said.

"I said," he turned to face his parents. "No!"

"Ryan, you don't have anything to defend yourself with!" Mr. Malar cried. "Now come home!"

All four of Ryan's Poke Ball opened, releasing his Pokemon. Both Malar's fell back, shocked. Ryan sighed and looked down, stroking his Camerupt's head. "For the past ten years, I've been caring for Pokemon in secret. These are the four who came to me unevolved and helpless, refusing to leave. I trained them into what they are now." Ryan said.

"Ryan, you... you've been training Pokemon for the last ten years?" Mr. Malar repeated, shaking. "Why didn't I notice it with my allergies?"

"Dunno," Ryan muttered. "Maybe the scent of the sea washed it all away."

"Ryan, do you really want to go with them?" Mrs. Malar asked.

Ryan smiled. "Yes, I do."

Both Malar's looked at one another and nodded. "Then go." They both said.

The group of five stared in shock. "Why would you let us 'insane children' take your son with us?" Alex asked.

"I guess he must've been dreaming about this for years." Mrs. Malar muttered. "Dreaming about going on a journey with friends and training Pokemon. We don't want to wreck that dream for him."

"We lost our chance at that dream, so we don't want Ryan to lose his chance." Mr. Malar continued. "Just take care of Ryan for us, please."

Mark smiled. "We promise."

The sun was high in the sky by the time the five Snaggers entered Diglett's Cave. Once they reached the other side, they saw two buildings and a ton of ledges. After leaving the first building behind, they approached two ledges. "Looks like we can jump the whole way down!" KC laughed, running to the first ledge and jumping. He hit the ground hard and then jumped the next ledge.

"You could just take the path, KC." Luffy called.

"What if I don't want to?" the younger boy demanded.

"I'm not washing your clothes this time."

"Then who will?"

"Do it yourself!" Luffy snapped.

"No fair!" KC whined.

As the entire group reached the bottom, they entered the lookout station and saw someone inside. "Prof. Oak! You're here!" Alex cried, running toward the Pokemon Professor and hugging him. "Guys, this is Prof. Oak!"

"Well now, it's good to see you too!" Prof. Oak chuckled, patting the blue-haired girl's head. "Well, it seems you've got quite the group of friends now, Mark."

"You got that right!" Mark replied, grinning. "This is Ryan. He's our newest friend from Vermillion. And this is KC and Luffy. They're from Cerulean and their father was a former Cipher scientist."

"Really? I'd like to get in touch with him." Oak said, eyes lighting up. "We might be able to find one of the Cipher bases and find out how they're taking over the regions so easily."

"Here's dad's phone number and cell phone number, Prof. Oak." Luffy handed the professor a piece of paper with both numbers written on it. "Don't worry if dad sounds jittery at first. Cipher's looking for him again and he's protecting Cerulean for us."

"Well, thank you." Oak replied. "Now, Mark, are you headed for the next city?"

"Yep!" Mark replied. "Why?"

"Just be careful, okay? And take this." Oak shoved a small stick-like item into his hands. "I don't need it but I know you will."

"It's an Itemfinder!" KC exclaimed. "Those things are rare!"

"I know it is. Now use it wisely." Oak warned. "Also, Mark, have your friends been able to see the differences between Shadow Pokemon and normal Pokemon?"

"Alex has been able to but I'm not sure about Luffy, KC, and Ryan." Mark reported. "Why?"

"Just some information I needed." Oak reassured. "Now hurry along. It might be dark by the time you reach the next city if you move at this rate. Goodbye and good luck!"

"Goodbye, Prof. Oak!" the five Snaggers called as they ascended the ledges. Once they passed through Diglett's Cave, they walked through the maze of dirt paths and grass. Once they reached the lookout station, Ryan noticed something. "We go back now?"

"Why?" Alex asked. As the other four stood around him, they realized why they couldn't go on. "Why does there have to be a Snorlax right in our way?!" Alex screamed.

"Calm down, Alex." KC said. "Screaming isn't going to wake it up. At most, it'll just make it yawn and sleep deeper."

"Now what do we do?" Mark asked.

"Well..." Luffy took off his black cap and scratched his head. "We could go back to Cerulean and head down Route 9."

"And why didn't we do that before?" Mark asked, glaring at the older boy.

Luffy shrugged. "You wanted to come to Vermillion, so I didn't mention it. But we can go down there now."

"Fine! Everyone, we're headed towards Cerulean... again!" Mark groaned.

An hour passed as they went through Route 11, Vermillion City, Route 6, the Underground Path, Route 5, and finally back into Cerulean City. Once there, they crashed at Luffy and KC's house for a bit before heading off to the east exit down Route 9. Once they were on the route, they noticed large rocks dotted the path along with plenty of ledges. They also saw Cipher Peons and Mark's PDA sensed Shadow Pokemon for the taking.

Luffy stopped near the edge of one ledge. "Once we jump this ledge, this becomes a one-way route, guys. You prepared for that?"

"There's no turning back from here." Ryan said. "I'm in."

"Definitely!" KC cried.

"Bring it on!" Alex chirped.

"Count me in as well." Mark replied.

"And I'm ready, too." Luffy muttered. "Let's go."

After battling the trainers and losing their way a few times along the route, the five Snaggers finally reached the end with more items and Shadow Pokemon. They stopped for a break at a large patch of grass. Mark pulled out his PDA to check his new Shadow Pokemon.

Three Shadow Burmy's: all female, 7 lbs, 0'08", Shed Skin ability, and they were Level 11.

Shadow Starly: male, 4 lbs, 1'00", Keen Eye ability, and was Level 7.

And Shadow Azurill: female, 4 lbs, 0'08", Tick Fat ability, and was Level 9.

While the other Snaggers were eating some of the lunch KC and Luffy's father packed for them, Mark looked towards the top of the Power Plant on the other side of the river. The legendary bird was either there or on Lightning Island. _I hope Cipher didn't catch Zapdos yet,_ he prayed. The green-haired Snagger ate some lunch and decided that is was time to get moving.

As they walked south, they found a Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon at. After that, the group walked around a blockade and KC fought a trainer before they reached the entrance of the Rock Tunnel. "Do we have to go in there?" Alex asked. "We can just swim across the river."

"Alex, we can't get to the river because there's a fence keeping us in here." Mark explained. "The Rock Tunnel is the fastest way to get there. Now let's get moving."

Once they entered, they were blanketed in darkness. KC called upon his Charmander to light the way. As they walked, they encountered more trainers and a few Cipher Peons. When they located the ladder that hit the second floor, they climbed down it and continued walking. Alex and Ryan both noticed that the ground was wet, alerting the others.

"Well, it's a natural made tunnel." Luffy commented. "Maybe there's an underground lake nearby."

"I just hope we don't fall into it." Alex muttered.

"I agree." Ryan nodded.

As they kept walking, the sound of lapping waves grew louder. Suddenly, Charmander was yelping and raced back to KC. "What's the matter?" KC asked.

Mark suddenly felt water flooding his shoes. "Guys, I think we found the lake." He said.

The others stepped forward and felt it. "Is there any way around it?" Alex asked. "I don't want to leave this place soaked."

"It's pitch black, Alex." Luffy pointed out. "I don't think we can find, let alone keep, to the edges of the lake without encountering water."

"Yeah, well, what else do we DOOOOO?!" Alex suddenly screamed, slipping off the edge of something. "Guys, help! I fell off something!"

"Where are you, Alex?" KC asked. Returning his Charmander, he hesitantly stepped forward. His feet fell off the edge of something and he grabbed the closest thing to him to steady himself... Ryan's jacket. The duo tumbled over the cliff, screaming, before they hit water. When they surfaced, they looked around wildly. "Alex! Where are you?"

Something grabbed KC's hair and tugged. "Right here, numbskull. You nearly killed me!"

"I'm here too." Ryan said. "We fell."

"KC! Where are you?" Luffy shouted.

"We fell over a cliff or something!" KC cried. "We're in the lake! Alex and Ryan are with me!"

"Well, now what do we do?" Luffy demanded.

"Jump after them?" Mark asked.

"Whatever! Geronimo!" Luffy jumped over the cliff and crashed into the lake below. Mark followed soon after, not wishing to be left alone in the dark. "Wahoo, that was fun! I wonder how big this lake is."

"Pretty big, I'm guessing." Mark muttered.

"WHA!" Alex screamed, grabbing KC's arm. "Something just touched my leg and it felt slimy!"

"Maybe it was a Pokemon." KC reassured.

"A good Pokemon or a bad Pokemon?" Luffy asked. "Magikarp or Carvanha?"

The five Snaggers fell silent, staring at one another. Then chaos broke through the group. "NOOOO! I don't want to die yet!" Alex screamed.

"Stop kicking your legs, guys! That'll attract them!" Luffy barked.

"Stay still." Ryan suggested.

"Everyone, let's just keep swim as calmly as possible!" Mark shouted.

"NOO! What if it kills us one by one?!" Alex cried. "Mark, this is all your fault! We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't made us come here!"

"Everyone SHUT UP!" KC yelled.

Everyone fell silent. Suddenly, something popped up between them, surprising everyone. "Shush!" it said softly. "You'll really wake up the Carvanha and Sharpedo with this noise."

It turned out to be a teenage girl, probably around 16. She had long brown hair and green eyes that gave her a sad look. She was wearing a green T-shirt and blue jeans, which she didn't seem to care if they got wet. She turned and quietly motioned for them to follow her.

"Who are you? And what are you doing down here?" Mark asked quietly.

"My name is Ookami Ryuuyuki from Celadon City." She said. "I'm leading a few friends of mine on a swimming trip down here. What are you doing down here?"

"We're trying to get to Lavender Town but we got lost down here." Luffy explained. "We ended up falling down here by mistake. Besides, what _is_ in this lake?"

"Magikarp, Feebas, Barboach, Whiscash, Carvanha, and Sharpedo." Ookami replied. "Though Carvanha and Sharpedo only come out at night or if they're disturbed."

"How do they know when it is night?" KC asked.

"We don't really know how they know." Ookami admitted. "They just... do, I guess."

"Thanks for helping us out." Mark thanked.

"No problem." Ookami replied. "We've helped many travelers that fall down here. It's dangerous at night with the Sharpedo swimming around. I know that from experience."

"What?" Alex asked.

"Uh, nothing!" Ookami squeaked. "The shore is just a little ways away now. Just keep going straight and you'll reach Lavender Town. I'll be headed back to Celadon in a few hours so if you want to go with me, you're welcome to."

"No thanks, Ookami." Mark declined. "I think we'll stay in Lavender for tonight and then head for Celadon in the morning."

"Alright then, here we are!" she said. As the group hauled themselves onshore, Ookami told them to meet her in Celadon. "I'd love to talk to you guys again. See you!" She dove back into the water and swam towards another person not far away who was calling for her.

"Well, let's get going, guys." Mark said.

Once the five Snaggers exited the Rock Tunnel, they headed to the right and jumped over a ledge. Then they went left and straight, entering Lavender Town. The sun was slowly setting as the group entered the Pokemon Center for the night. After renting a room with two bunk beds and a blow-up mattress, the five headed upstairs to sleep. After getting unpacked and putting on their pajamas, they climbed into bed.

"Mark, do you think that woman was a Cipher Peon?" Alex asked.

"I don't think so." Mark muttered.

"If she was, she would have let us drown rather than save us." Luffy agreed.

"So, maybe she's a friend?" KC mumbled. "I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night." Ryan said.

"Night." The other three said. Once they fell asleep, Shadow Gengar raced away to report about a fifth Snagger.

_On the island that houses Cipher, Mimzy's room..._

"So, you lost too?" Dart asked, leaning in the doorway. "Not only the battle but your precious Shadow Pikachu too? That's pathetic!"

"Shut up, stupid swordsman!" Mimzy barked, throwing a pillow at the blonde.

Dart caught the pillow in one hand and tossed it back on her bed. "I guess I should've known that you'd lose. Whitey and I lost so of course you would. Florence will definitely lose, no doubt."

"And why do you think that, stupid?" Mimzy asked, sitting cross-legged on her bed facing the wall. "You're not the best, stupid, or you would've been recommended for the stupid Elite Four or the stupid Pokemon Champion."

"Hmph! Like I care what you say!" Dart snapped. "I'm out of here!"

Just as he was about to leave, Mimzy piped up. "If you don't care about what I say, then why did you even come here, stupid?"

Dart stopped. "Cause I just felt like talking to someone and that someone just happened to be you. That's all."

"Oh." Mimzy muttered. As Dart left, Mimzy looked towards the doorway sadly. "I guess even stupid Dart gets lonely, too. Weird."

_On the S.S. Anne..._

Leena looked out the window and smiled as she saw the faint shape of Pallet Town against the fading sunlight. "One more day until I get there, Prof. Oak." She muttered. "One more day left before I can put my plans into action."

"Gardevoir voir," Eden said softly.

"I know, Eden." Leena groaned. "I won't overdo it when I find them. I promise. Or are you just worried about your egg?"

"Voir?"

"Yeah, I thought so." Leena muttered. "Don't worry. I just wonder how strong he's gotten since the last time we fought. Hopefully strong enough."

"AAARCANINE!!" Arcane howled.

"I get the point! Sorry about waking you up, Arcane." Leena apologized, scratching her starter Pokemon behind the ears. "There's a good boy. We're nearly there so you can stretch your legs again, Arcane."

"Voir voir..." Eden mumbled softly, rocking the strange black egg she carried.

"I know what you mean." Leena agreed, looking out the window. The sunlight was fading fast, staining the ocean a red color... red like blood. Leena looked away. "We're almost there. I can't _wait_ until the day I can get Cipher back for what they've done. That's gonna be fun. I just know it..."

**Next Chapter:** Swimming with Sharpedo's

"How did we end up back here again?!" KC cried.

"Guys, be quiet!" Luffy hissed. "Listen!"

The group fell silent. The voices of the Cipher Peons got louder. "Where did they go?"

"Careful, there's a cliff here!"

"They wouldn't go down there, especially not at night."

"I wouldn't put it past them!"

"Do we follow?"

"No! Do you want to be eaten by those Sharpedo?"

"Let's leave them. Five less threats to worry about now."

The footsteps died away. "Okay, let's swim to shore." Mark muttered.

Alex grabbed his sleeve and pointed. "I think we should just stay here, Mark."

"Why?" Then he looked up. Tons of Sharpedo fins were cutting through the water along with a few Carvanha fins. "Oh, shoot!" They were trapped in a lake of aggressive Pokemon with no way out.

--

Hey everyone, I hope you like the chapter and preview! I'm glad that everyone loves the story so far. Summer allows me more time to write the chapters out and post them quickly. Hooray for summer! Please review! If anyone has any ideas for future chapters, you can add them to your reviews! See you later!


	22. Chapter 22: Swimming with Sharpedo's

Hello everyone

Hello everyone! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the preview! A bit of Leena's past is revealed here so I hope you like it, Yonoka Takai. Also, a bit about Anna's death is shown here too. zephyr51, your character will pop up in this chapter. Anyways, thanks for the reviews everyone! Onto the chapter!

Chapter 22: Swimming with Sharpedo's

"So, now there is a fifth Snagger in the group?" The leader of Cipher repeated, glaring down at the Shadow Gengar. This was getting annoying, in his opinion. He eliminated one Snagger and he ended up with five more, with the possibility of more later. This was growing out of control. "Send in Squad D to drive them out of Lavendar Town tomorrow night. I repeat, do _not_ let them get out of Lavender Town. Drive them into the Rock Tunnel or something. I don't care!"

"Sir, please try to calm down." Prof. Pine said gently from his spot beside the cowering Ghost Pokemon.

"Where were you yesterday afternoon, Pine?!" the leader snapped. "You vanished around the time of Mimzy's defeat. You wouldn't happen to be helping the Snaggers, would you?"

"Of course not, sir!" Pine cried, gripping his clipboard tighter. "You know I depend on this project just as much as the rest of Cipher. I wouldn't destroy ten years of work just for some brats!"

"... Heh. I should've guessed as much." The leader chuckled. "You can calm down now, professor. You're not under suspicion... yet."

Prof. Pine sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir." He looked down at the ground, eyes narrowed. _You kids are causing me so much trouble. Shadow Master better be happy that I'm not a prime suspect in these crimes. Stupid Shadow Master... this all started because of you!_

"You may leave now, Prof. Pine." Leader ordered. Once the violet-haired scientist was gone, the leader looked over his shoulder. "Agent 94, Agent 95, you may come out now."

Two 18 year old boys stepped out from the shadows. One with blue hair, the other with red hair. Both had bright amber eyes and wore identical clothes: the standard Cipher Peon black uniform, consisting of a black long-sleeved shirt with the Cipher symbol on the sleeves, black pants, tennis shoes, and a small radio attached to their belts. The only way you could tell them apart was their hair color and the position of their radios.

"Yes, sir. You called?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"Actually, he told us to come out, bro." the red-haired boy corrected.

"Shut up, Molt!" the blue-haired boy hissed, eyes narrowed at his brother.

"Yes, Freeze." Molt said, hanging his head.

"Combo Masters, listen up!" the leader barked. Once he had the duo's attention, he smirked. "How has the tracking mission been going?"

"She's on the S.S. Anne right now, sailing to Pallet Town." Freeze replied. "She's going to see Prof. Oak and then, maybe, join the fight against us."

"But what did we do wrong against her, bro?" Molt asked.

"I don't know and I don't care!" Freeze growled. "Please, ignore my stupid twin brother. He was dropped on his head as a baby."

"I was not!" Molt cried.

"Then why are you so dumb compared to me?!" Freeze shot back.

"Because you're—"

"SILENCE!!" the leader roared.

"EEP!!" the twins yelped.

Once silence was restored, the leader coughed and spoke once more. "I didn't ask for your useless complaints about your mission or each other. I asked about how your mission is going so far. Stay on topic or face the consequences!"

"What are the consequences?" Molt asked.

"SHUT UP!!" Freeze yelled, tackling his twin to the ground. "Consequences are the bad things that will happen to us if we don't give him a straight answer!"

"Oh, okay! Could you please get off me, bro?"

"Hmph, fine!" Freeze hopped off his twin and turned to face their leader. "She hasn't done anything suspicious yet, sir. But she keeps mumbling about her plans against Cipher and about beating someone, possibly from Cipher."

"Ah, so she still hasn't forgotten about that?" the leader muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Continue tracking her until her talk with Prof. Oak has ended. After that, apprehend Oak and bring him to me. He's been a thorn in my side for far too long now."

"But what about the girl?" Molt asked.

"If she gets in your way, fight her but don't kill her." The leader ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the twins said, saluting. Then they headed out the door to catch up with the S.S. Anne.

The leader sighed. "I wonder how Leena will feel she has to fight the masters of trickery and deceit." His booming laughter echoed throughout the entire base.

_S.S. Anne..._

"_Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" A little girl with short black hair and ice blue eyes stood in the middle of a pitch black room. She was wearing a black dress and a too-big red muffler that her big sister gave to her only moments before _it_ happened. She wasn't much older than five or six years old. "Mom! Dad! Connie! Where are you?"_

"_Leena!" hissed a voice laced with pain. "Get out of here!"_

"_Connie!" the little girl looked around until she found her big sister. The older girl, around 18 or 19, was lying in a big pool of red water. Her long black hair was caked in the stuff and her green eyes were dull. The red water was pouring from a hole in her stomach. "I'm coming, big sis!"_

_The little girl ran to her older sister, slipping in the red water that covered most of the floor. Light came in through the many holes in the doorway that _they_ came in through, carrying black water pistols that made a loud BANG whenever fired. Once the girl, Leena, reached her sisters side, she fell to her knees in the red water and begged her sister to get up. Connie was barely breathing._

"_Lee...na, get out of here." Connie gasped, the red water trickling out of her mouth now. "Mom and dad are gone. Hurry, before they get you too."_

"_Before who gets me?" Leena asked. She grabbed her sister's hand and tugged. "Connie, we have to go. Come on, get up. Please!" Tears were running down her face and she reached up to wiped them away. She felt something sticky being wiped on her face. As she pulled her hands away, she saw that they were covered in the red water. "What is this stuff, big sis?"_

"_It's blood. You need a lot of it to live." Connie coughed, more of the red water coming out. "Lose too much and you die, like I am."_

"_Die?" Leena repeated. She knew that word. It was when you fall asleep and never wake up again. Then they put you in the ground or burn you to ashes. "Big sis, don't die!" She put her hands over the hole in Connie's stomach but the blood kept going through her fingers. "Connie, don't leave!"_

"_She's already gone, kid." A voice said. "And you're going to join her soon."_

_Leena slowly looked up to see a man in a black trench coat pointing a water pistol at her. "Why did you hurt Connie? And where are mom and dad?"_

"_They're dead," he answered, grinning. "And so are you!"_

_Leena screamed as the BANG was fired. Then she realized that nothing hurt. When she looked up, she saw a young woman with long blue hair that ended in a curl at the bottom. A beautiful Persian with a pink bow around its neck was held in one arm while the other held one of the water pistols that made a BANG noise. Smoke curled up from the barrel on the water pistol and the man in the trench coat was on the floor, unmoving in a pool of blood. The blue-haired woman placed the water pistol in her coat pocket and looked at Leena._

"_Who are you?" the little girl asked. "And what did you do to that man?"_

_The woman smiled and walked over to the girl. She crouched down and gently patted the crying child's head. "He's dead, so he can't hurt you anymore. My name is Selene and I'm an agent from Cipher. Are you Leena?"_

_Leena nodded. "Why did they kill mom and dad and Connie?"_

_The woman ignored the question. "They told me that Leena was 18, not 6. They must've gotten you and your sister mixed up."_

"_Why did they kill mom and dad and Connie?!" Leena cried. "Are you gonna kill me, too?"_

_Selene sighed and shook her head. "I don't have to, Leena. Living all alone in the streets will kill you for me." She stood up and walked away. "See you, kid! Die quickly!"_

"_Wait a minute!" Leena cried. "Why are you doing this? What did mom and dad and Connie do to you? Come back!"_

"_You are such an annoyance." Selene grumbled. "Persian, use Scratch and shut that kid up!"_

_The cat-like Pokemon pounced from the woman's arms and launched itself at Leena, claws out. Leena screamed as the claws tore into her crossed arms, blood running down her arms. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. "Somebody, help me!" she screamed._

"AAAAAHHH!!" Leena shot upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Her black hair was a mess and tears ran from her eyes at the horrid memory. She hunched over and covered her face with her right hand. "Darn it! Why did I have to have that nightmare again?!"

"Miss Leena, we're docking in Pallet Town now. Are you ready to go?" the butler asked, not daring to open the door.

"Just give me a few minutes, okay!" Leena barked from inside.

The butler sighed and nodded. "Of course, miss Leena." He headed for the captain's quarters to inform him of her departure.

Eden looked up from her side of the bed. Noticing her trainer's terrified face, the Gardevoir crawled over and rubbed her back soothingly. "Gardevoir voir," she said softly, trying to calm down her trainer.

Leena took deep breaths as she tried to rid herself of the terrible memory. "Darn you, Cipher. When I get the chance, I'm going to make you pay for murdering them. That much I promise!"

"AAAARCANINE!!" Arcane barked from his place at the foot of the bed. "Arcanine nine!"

"Thanks Arcane, Eden." Leena thanked, scratching the dog Pokemon's head and smiling at the Psychic-type. "You guys understand what I'm going through, so of course you'd comfort me."

"Dragonair nair!" a dark blue serpent-like dragon Pokemon cooed, sliding up onto the bed. "Nair nair?"

"Except you, Dragonair." Leena muttered, stroking the Dragon-type's head. "You're the only normal one out of the five of us, sweetie."

"Nair?"

"Gardevoir voir," Eden muttered, stroking the black egg that rested in her lap. "Garde gardevoir voir... voir voir?"

"Fearow row!" Sinner cawed.

"Okay guys, let's move out!" Leena cried. "Eden, Dragonair, Sinner! Return!"

Once they were gone, Arcane stood up and headed for the door to wait for his owner to get dressed. Leena glared warily at her Pokemon before turning around and sliding off her black pajama top. As she was slipping on her black dress shirt, she noticed Arcane looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Arcane, you perverted lazy dog!" she screamed, pouncing on the Fire-type and tying the sleeves of her pajama top around his head. Once she backed away, she smiled at the futile attempts Arcane preformed at pulling the article of human clothing off. Assured that she wouldn't be stared at, she resumed dressing into her daily clothes.

When she reached for her muffler, she remembered the dream. Grunting in annoyance, she pulled it on and shook off the nightmarish memory. _That's all in the past. No dealing with it right now. I have to focus on the present so that I even have a future to look forward to and a past to remember._ After she was done, she pulled off the pajama shirt and stuffed it into her backpack.

After climbing on the Arcanine's back, Leena directed them off of the ship. Once on the dock, she waved to the captain and headed off towards Pallet Town. She looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds. "Looks like it's gonna rain," she muttered.

_Lavender Town..._

"Guys, time to wake up!" Luffy growled, shaking Mark furiously. The oldest boy of the group had woken up early to make breakfast and wake up without his brother bugging him. "Geez, I'll eat your breakfast if you don't. KC, wake Alex up! Don't fall back asleep!"

KC grumbled something as he was jerked awake again. He reached out to wake Alex up and heard a startled squeak. Looking down, he saw that he had grabbed Alex's breast. One slap later and Ryan was up, very curious about the red handprint on KC's face and why Alex was calling him a pervert. Mark was chuckling about the whole incident and Luffy silently ate his bacon, inwardly laughing at his little brother's misfortune.

"It's not funny, guys! Shut up already!" KC whined as they exited the Pokemon Center. "I didn't mean to grab... it, Alex. I really didn't!"

"Yeah right, pervert." Alex hissed, darting behind Mark. KC felt slightly jealous but reluctantly left her alone to talk to Mark. _Lucky guy..._ KC thought.

"Where should we go next?" Mark asked.

"Pokemon Tower," Ryan said, pointing to the giant tower to their left. "Catch Ghost Pokemon,"

"Yeah, we can catch Ghost Pokemon here! I forgot about that!" Alex chirped, hugging Mark's arm and tugging him toward the tower. "Come on, let's go, Mark!"

KC twitched at seeing that. _Mark is so lucky..._ He coughed and nodded. "I'll go with you, Alex."

Alex looked mortified. "I don't want to go with a pervert!" she cried.

"I'm not a pervert! It was an accident!" the raven-haired boy complained. "You have to believe me!"

"It's okay, KC." Ryan said, patting the younger boy's back.

"Thanks, Ryan." KC mumbled. "At least you believe me."

"After we go into the tower, how about we grab some stuff from the Poke Mart and head for Celadon." Luffy suggested. "We might meet that girl there. Ookami was her name, right?"

"Yeah, that was it." Mark agreed. "Weird name, that's for sure."

As they entered the tower, a feeling of coldness swept over the bunch. They started maneuvering through the graves of multiple Pokemon as they went for the stairs. Once they reached the second floor, KC pointed out a teenage boy standing near the next set of stairs. Mark recognized him immediately. "Will, what are you doing here?"

"How does he always get to places before we do?" Alex wondered.

"I'm just good that way, Alex." The green-eyed boy answered. "I challenge you to a battle, Mark. I'll definitely win this time, no doubt about it."

"He is _so_ going to be crushed, isn't he?" Luffy muttered.

"As always, yes." Alex replied.

"That sucks for him." KC said.

Ryan nodded.

"I heard that, you guys!" Will shouted, glaring at the other four. "So what if your friends think I'll lose, you'll still go down. Get ready to be crushed, Mark!"

The green-haired Snagger sighed, flipping his ponytail over his shoulder. "I was really hoping to avoid battling today, Will. Looks like you had to go off and spoil that hope."

"Too bad! Go, Gible!" Will shouted, tossing out the shark-like Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon. The tiny Pokemon snapped its jaws ferociously, prepared for battle.

"A Gible? Nice choice." Mark complimented. "But I can beat that. Go, Espeon!" The red fox-like Shadow Pokemon hopped out and set a battle stance.

_Espeon? I've seen her before, right?_ He thought. Then he shook his head. _What the heck? It looks like her fur is red. I must be seeing things... or maybe it's being in this dark tower of hours, waiting for Mark to show up._

"Espeon, start off with Confusion!" Mark ordered.

"Gible, dodge it and use Sandstorm!" Will shouted.

_Yes, Mark,_ Espeon muttered and charged forward, her jewel glowing. Her fur turned back to normal for a split-second when she launched her attack. Gible dodged it, stumbling a little along the way. Once it was out of range, Gible started spinning and whipping sand into the air with its tail. Soon, a giant sandstorm was sweeping through the whole second floor of the tower! Espeon curled into a ball on the ground to avoid the sand. Unfortunately, Will and the Snaggers weren't so lucky.

"WHA! I'm getting sand burns! Will, tell Gible to stop!" Alex shouted, hugging herself and burying her face in her arms.

"KC, get over here!" Luffy cried.

"Stop, please!" Ryan groaned, shielding his face with his arms. The brunette stepped backwards and tripped over one of the tombstones, loosening it enough for the sandstorm to pick it up. "Look out!"

Mark ran over and tackled Will, saving him from the flying tombstone. Then it arced over and sped towards Alex. KC grabbed Alex and pulled her close while releasing Rotom. "Rotom, use Thundershock to destroy that thing before it hurts someone!" he yelled.

"Rooooo...TOOOOOM!!" The Ghost/Electric-type Pokemon screeched, electricity exploding from its tiny body. The sparks shattered the tombstone into small rocks no bigger than pebbles. But that doesn't mean they weren't still dangerous.

The small rocks whizzed around, hitting people, Pokemon, and walls at higher speeds. Espeon slowly stood up and unleashed her Shadow Psychic attack, ending the sandstorm and placing the small rocks on the ground gently. Gible stopped spinning but was stumbling around dizzily. Will grumbled something and returned it. "Sorry 'bout that, guys. I didn't think that would happen." He apologized.

"No, my fault," Ryan muttered, pointing to the spot where the tombstone once was. "Loosened it when I tripped,"

"It's alright, Will, Ryan." Mark said. "At least no one got hurt. Alex, KC, are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, KC saved me." Alex replied, looking at KC guiltily. "I'm sorry that I called you a... pervert, KC. Forgive me?"

"Sure, I forgive you!" KC cried, grinning. "It _was_ my fault anyway for not looking where I was grabbing. Sorry!"

"It's... okay, I guess." Alex muttered. Then she hugged KC and thanked him, resulting in KC's face turning red. _She hugged me... she really hugged me!_

"Uh, what's with them?" Will asked.

"KC accidentally grabbed Alex's breast this morning and she's been calling him a pervert until we got here." Luffy whispered back. "He saved her from that flying tombstone and now they've made up. KC has a crush on Alex but I don't think she sees it yet."

"Oh, okay." Will muttered. Adjusting his red bandanna, he coughed to get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should battle another time in a much better spot." _More like a much safer spot. This place is a cemetery for Pokemon and we nearly ended up dead here._ Will sighed. "I'll challenge you later, Mark. This was too dangerous. See you!" He walked down the stairs to the first floor and walked out the door. "Next time, I'll pick a better spot to fight... especially not in a graveyard. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was I thinking?!"

Mark sighed and suggested that they go back outside, but Alex disagreed. Eventually, the group returned to their trek towards the top of the tower. Once they reached the top floor of the foggy tower, Alex saw a person seated behind one of the tombstones. "Hey, who's there? Will, is that you?" Alex asked.

"But Will left through the first floor." Luffy muttered. "He couldn't have gotten up here without passing us first. And there are no windows to climb through so he couldn't have flown up here. I really don't think that that's Will, Alex."

"Then who is it?" KC asked.

"Who knows until we find out?" Mark replied. "Hey, whoever you are, come out! We aren't going to hurt you!"

Slowly, a young girl stood up from behind the grave. She had short orange hair and was wearing a green dress. She had a battered straw hat on her head and was holding a small pendant on her small hands. She looked around 10 or 11. Her brown eyes kept flickering to the open pendant in her hands. Then she opened her mouth and spoke. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mark and these are my friends: Alex, KC, Luffy, and Ryan." Mark introduced before looking at the girl again. She wasn't carrying any Poke Balls so she couldn't be a trainer. "Who are you? There are Ghost Pokemon around here and you could get hurt if you don't have any Pokemon to defend yourself with. Do you need help?"

"Mark, look at her dress!" Alex hissed.

"Alex, now is not the time to make a notice on fashion." Luffy reprimanded.

"No, look at her dress! There is _blood_ on it!" Alex hissed, kicking Luffy's shin.

"What?!" All five looked at the girl and saw blood staining her dress. A little blood ran down from her mouth and there was a hole in her chest, a hole that seemed to come from a bullet wound. "Hey, we need to get you down from here! You're hurt!" Mark shouted.

The girl shook her head. "I'm not hurt, Mark. I'm already dead."

"Not if I can help it!" The green-haired Snagger reached out and grabbed her hand. Then he noticed that he hadn't grabbed anything. "Huh?"

Alex started trembling. "Mark, I think... I think she's a gh-gh... GHOST!!"

Mark slowly looked up to see that she was really pale. His hand had gone through her hand, as if she was only visible air. He knew that she had to be a ghost but why was she here? Who killed her or did she kill herself? "Kid, who are you?" Mark asked. "Who killed you? And why do you seem so familiar?"

"Of course I'm familiar, Mark." The girl giggled. "You were trying so hard to take my place, right? An evil organization bent on controlling the world through Pokemon, they killed me. And who am I? I'm sure that you know the answer to that now."

"What?" Luffy asked. He, KC, and Ryan still had no idea what they were talking about. "Mark, who is she?!"

"Mark, is it really..." Alex whispered, realization dawning.

"Yeah, it's her. It has to be her, Alex. No one else fits that description!" Mark cried.

"Who is she, Mark? Tell us already!" KC shouted.

"Are you...?" He looked her in the face. "Are you Anna?"

"Hee hee! That's right," the girl giggled, nodding.

"Who's Anna?" KC asked.

"Anna was a previous Snagger before Mark and us. She was Mist's best friend but Cipher murdered her to prevent a rebellion. Then they forced Mist to join and dubbed her death a car accident." Alex explained.

"That's horrible!" Luffy whispered. "Why would they do that?"

"To stop their enemies," Ryan muttered.

"You got that right, Ryan." Alex agreed. "Cipher will do anything to achieve their goal, even killing those who get in the way of their plans."

"I wanted to come see you guys." Anna said. "All of you guys. Arceus and Palkia allowed me to visit you guys for a bit. Then I have to go back to the spirit world again."

"So you're Anna." Alex said. "I can't believe Cipher would kill you like that. But, who killed you in the first place?"

"Someone in Cipher who was full of jealousy about Mist and I." Anna replied. "He hated Mist with a passion but loved me to his heart's content. He despised our relationship but when he realized that I was the rebellion against Cipher, he tried to stop me. Then he was ordered to shoot me, eliminating the rebellion completely. He was heartbroken but did it anyway... but he was crying while he did it."

_Flashback, 5 years ago_

"How would you like to see how death is?" he said softly. "This is farewell, Anna. Goodbye!"

The leader of Cipher smirked. "May death be upon you..."

Mist stared in utter fear as he sat in the long grass. Anna stood before him along with a stranger and his soon-to-be boss. "Anna, don't leave me!" he cried.

"Bye Mist. I love you." A single tear ran down her cheek.

The stranger looked shocked but snarled. "Say good night, Anna."

BANG!!

She felt to the ground, dead. Mist was screaming, struggling against his captor. The strange man dropped the gun, tears running down his face.

"Good job." The leader applauded. "Though showing tears are a weakness, I'll let it go this time. Take the boy away, dear."

"Yes, sir." The woman picked Mist up and hauled him back towards the base.

The strange man just stayed there, tears hitting the ground softly. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I hope you'll forgive me. All I wanted was to hear you say that you loved me."

_End flashback_

"He was so sad." Anna murmured.

"So, you don't know who it was?" Alex asked.

"Oh, I do know who he is. It was—!! Uh oh!" Anna was fading away fast. "Palkia must be bringing me back to the spirit world!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Mark cried. "Tell it to bring you back!"

"I can't! I've never really met Palkia, only Arceus!" Anna replied. "I have to go now but I might come back later! Bye guys and good luck against Ci—" That was it. Anna was gone once again.

"Drat, we nearly found out who did that to her." Luffy grumbled.

"We should go," Ryan said.

"Yeah, it's probably getting dark out soon." KC added. "We better head to the Poke Mart and get a good night's sleep for tomorrow."

"I guess so. Mark, are you coming?" Alex asked as the group headed for the stairs.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm coming." Mark stood up and followed them. Once he reached the staircase, he walked back to the tomb that she had been hiding behind. "Hey guys, look at this!"

"What is it?" KC asked.

"It's a tombstone with Anna's name on it." Alex muttered. "But isn't this a Pokemon graveyard? What's a human grave doing here?"

Mark picked up something lying at the foot of the grave. It was the pendant that Anna had been holding before she'd vanished again. Inside was a picture of Anna and Mist, both around 8 years old. They were hugging one another on the back of a Lapras, probably the Shadow Lapras that Mist currently had with him. "I think Mist buried her here." The green-haired Snagger said.

"But why?" Luffy asked.

"Because she loved Pokemon and Mist might've considered her to be his Pokemon." Alex suggested. "He loved her so much that he buried her among the things she loved most, Pokemon."

"This gravestone beside her is blank." KC pointed out.

"Mist," Ryan said. He didn't know who Mist was but he just had a feeling that it was for him.

"Yeah, I think this is Mist's grave for when he dies." Mark muttered. "To be buried alongside his true love."

"Creepy if you ask me." Alex replied. "Let's get out of here already! I want to get back to the Pokemon Center before dark, thank you very much!"

"Good point, Alex." Luffy agreed. "Let's get going, guys!"

"Alright, let's go." Mark led them downstairs as quickly as possible but he had the strangest feeling that it wasn't fast enough. _What's this weird feeling? Is Cipher planning something? I hope it's nothing bad though, knowing Cipher, it probably is._ "Hurry up, everyone!"

"Why?" Ryan asked, stumbling slightly and nearly bowling Luffy over. "Is something wrong?"

"I think so, Ryan." Mark replied. "I have a feeling that something is very wrong here."

Once they exited the Pokemon Tower, they saw a large amount of Cipher Peons looking around. The sun was nearly fully set. Once the goons spotted them, they started chasing the Snaggers. Having nowhere else to run to, they ran towards the Rock Tunnel. They blindly ran until Mark screamed as he fell over the small ledge leading to the underground lake. One by one, the other Snaggers jumped in.

"How did we end up back here again?!" KC cried.

"Guys, be quiet!" Luffy hissed. "Listen!"

The group fell silent. The voices of the Cipher Peons got louder. "Where did they go?"

"Careful, there's a cliff here!"

"They wouldn't go down there, especially not at night."

"I wouldn't put it past them!"

"Do we follow?"

"No! Do you want to be eaten by those Sharpedo?"

"Let's leave them. Five less threats to worry about now."

The footsteps died away. "Okay, let's swim to shore." Mark muttered.

Alex grabbed his sleeve and pointed. "I think we should just stay here, Mark."

"Why?" Then he looked up. Tons of Sharpedo fins were cutting through the water along with a few Carvanha fins. "Oh, shoot!" They were trapped in a lake of aggressive Pokemon with no way out.

"Anyone have any ideas of how to get out of here?" Luffy asked, whimpering as a Sharpedo fin came much to close for comfort to him.

"Stay still until morning?" Ryan suggested.

"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Alex whimpered.

"I hope not, Alex." Mark said. "I really hope not."

"No one knows that we're down here so we probably won't be saved." KC groaned. "And Sharpedo have been known to attack still objects out of curiosity."

"Ow! Something rubbed against my leg and it was sharp!" Luffy hissed.

"Sharpedo or Carvanha's Rough Skin ability." Mark muttered. "As long as you aren't bleeding, we'll be safe."

"And if he is bleeding?" Alex asked.

"We die." Ryan said.

_Pallet Town..._

Leena smiled as they entered the town. It only took a quick look around to locate Prof. Oak's lab. Many young children came over to see the new visitor and pet her ride, Arcane. Once the children were ushered back into their yards, Leena had Arcane race towards the Pokemon Research Lab in exchange for a long nap during the meeting. _We're finally here... back in my hometown. Geez, I missed this place. I wonder if my house is still here._

After running up the steps, they reached the door of the lab. Leena barely knocked before a young boy answered the door, sketchbook in hand. "Hello, I'm Tracy Sketchit. You must be Leena, the 6th place winner of the Kanto League Tournament. Wow, what an amazing Arcanine! Mind if I sketch him or her?"

"Sure, and Arcane is a guy." Leena said, hopping off the Fire-type. "He's taking a nap soon, so you could draw him then."

"Thank you!" Tracy replied. "Well, his fur is nice and glossy, proof that you take good care of him. You must be a great trainer."

"Why, thank you. I believe I am a very good trainer, Tracy." Leena thanked and stepped inside the lab. "Geez, it's cluttered in here. Is the professor home? I need a word with him about something before I head off to catch up with friends."

"Uh, yes. He's in the main laboratory, down the hall and to your left." Tracy said, pointing the way. "He's been expecting you."

"As I thought he would." Leena muttered. "Arcane, you can go to the living room and take a nap. Tracy is going to draw you so don't be bothered by him, 'kay?"

"Arcanine nine," the large dog-like Pokemon grunted before trudging off to the living room, Tracy following close behind.

Leena smirked and entered the main lab to see Prof. Oak talking on the video phone to Gary. "Ah, I see. Well then, carry on with your research then. If you find out anything else from Mark about Cipher, give me a call. Alright, goodbye!" He hung up and was about to stand up when Leena hit the wall with her fist, making him jump. "Oh, Leena! When did you get here?"

"A little while ago." Leena answered, walking in and stealing his chair as he made to sit down again. Seeing his glare, she smiled. "Can't blame me for being tired from that long way here." She complained.

"I highly doubt that you actually walked here." Oak grumbled, pulling out another chair and sitting down. "It's more likely that you made poor Arcane walk here carrying you. No wonder the poor guy is so tired."

"Bite me. I'll do what I want with my Pokemon, so don't tell me what to do! You know I hate that." Leena snarled, glaring.

"I apologize, just pointing out facts." Prof. Oak said gently. _Ever since Cipher killed her parents, she's always snapping at people who try to order her around. Especially hotheaded people like Gary can sometimes be. Good thing she can be caring at times._ He sighed. "Leena, have you seen any Cipher goons while you made your way here?"

"Nope," Leena replied. "None that I could spot. Why?"

"Do you know why there are none here?"

"Because they were taken out by the Snaggers, why else?" Leena said, crossing her legs and brushing her bangs out of her face. "Who are the Snaggers, anyway? I have to know who they are if I'm going to go look for them."

"W-What?" Oak yelped. "You're going to go look for Mark and the others? Why? I thought you were doing this on your own."

"Hey, I just need to know who my allies are in case I get in a jam. Nothing more, nothing less." Leena stated, looking at the nails on her left hand. "Plus, with Cipher around, it's best if the Snaggers all stick together. Cipher can't take us all out if we work as one. So, who are they?"

Oak sighed again and pressed a button. Images of Mark, Alex, Luffy, KC, and Ryan appeared on the screen. "These are the Snaggers that I have recently met through Diglett's Cave. Though, Mark has mentioned another boy named Will being his rival. It's possible that he may eventually be a Snagger." The image of Will appeared along with the five Snaggers. "So, there are approximately six Snaggers in total, minus you."

"Okay, that much I can see." Leena replied. "Where are they right now?"

"I assume that they've reached the point between Lavender Town and Celadon City." Oak said. "Though, I can't assure you that I'm right. They might be past there already or haven't even reached it yet. It all depends on how fast the group travels."

"Got it, professor." The raven-haired girl chirped, playing with the edge of her red muffler. When she opened her mouth to continue, she heard a loud CRASH from outside of the window. Peering out, Leena saw a few tipped and broken flower pots. _I wonder who did that. The Pokemon? Or someone else?_

The computer started beeping, a warning signal. "It seems that I have intruders in my lab." Oak muttered. "I better warn Tracy."

"I'll go look for him, Oak." Leena countered. "He's with my Arcanine anyway so if they're in trouble, Arcane will deal with it."

"I hope you're right." Oak said. "Try to battle the intruders outside."

"I'll try but no promises!" Leena called before racing down the hall towards the living room. When she got there, she realized that Tracy and Arcane weren't there. After further inspection, she noticed blood spots on the floor. _Arcane, where are you?_ Hearing a loud yelp outside, she ran for the door. "Arcane, I'm coming!" she cried, bursting out the door.

_With the Trickster Twins..._

Freeze and Molt had spent most of the day tailing after their target, Leena. Once she got inside the labs, the duo listened in through an open window leading to the main labs. Everything was going well until Molt ended up attracted a Poochyena and breaking a few nearby flower pots. Evacuating the spot, Freeze unlocked the front door and they quietly slipped inside to complete their mission.

Unfortunately, they ended up meeting with Tracy and an Arcanine, who instantly suspected trouble. "Who are you two?" Tracy demanded. "Prof. Oak never told me that he was having more visitors. You'll have to leave immediately."

"Why should we?" Freeze shot back.

"Because he told us to, that's why." Molt replied.

Freeze glared and hit his twin. "Ignore him," he growled. "Tell Oak to get out here before we tear this place apart. Our leader wants Oak to come with us and we aren't taking no for an answer."

Arcane stood up and started growling, showing sharp teeth. The duo retreated a few steps, slightly intimidated by the hulking Arcanine. "I told you to leave." Tracy repeated. "Please leave and we won't have to fight. I don't want to destroy the professor's lab."

"Then we could fight outside." Molt suggested.

"Why should we?!" Freeze snapped. "Who cares if we wreck this place during our mission?"

"That's it." Tracy grumbled. "Scyther, come out and get these people out of here!"

The green pray mantis-like Pokemon appeared and hissed at the twins, raising a scythe-arm threateningly. "Scyther scythe!" it hissed, stepping forward. Arcane matched it step for step, both prepared to fight.

"I'm not afraid of them!" Freeze laughed.

"I am!" Molt whined.

Freeze glared at his redhead twin. "Molt, you're ruining the image that I tried to put up for all Cipher minions. Why can't you be smart and brave, like me?"

"I dunno, bro."

Freeze slapped his face, groaning in frustration. "I give up. Shadow Hitmontop, get out here! Bro, get ready."

"Right!" Molt replied. "Shadow Mr. Mime, help out!"

Once the two Shadow Pokemon were out, Scyther charged forward with a scythe-arm raised. As it brought the weapon down on Hitmontop, a red glowing surrounded the Bug-type and ceased its movements. Scyther was forced to turn around and attack Arcane, who yelped in surprise has a scythe-arm slashed across his left shoulder and drawing blood.

Molt laughed. "That's Mr. Mime's Shadow Psychic. Your Pokemon is under my command and will continue to attack that Arcanine until either you give up, Oak comes out, or Arcanine dies. If it's the later, you'll be next to die."

"Great plan, bro!" Freeze complimented. "I guess you aren't as stupid as I thought you were."

"Really? That's great!" Molt chuckled. Then the table that once sat between the couch and the chair was sent flying between the twins, forcing them to squeeze against the walls to prevent being hit. Scyther was hacking away at everything! "Oops. I forgot that Mr. Mime can't control its target all that well, though."

"You idiot! I can't believe I thought that you were smart!" Freeze shouted.

"Sorry!"

Tracy quickly returned his Scyther and raced past the quarreling twins, followed closely by the wounded Arcane. Freeze and Molt ended their bicker, tearing after them just seconds before Leena entered the room. Once the group was outside, Freeze smirked. "You've got nowhere left to run now! So call Prof. Oak and we'll let you off the hook."

"Why would I do that?!" Tracy growled. "I won't let you Cipher minions take Prof. Oak away. Who knows what you'll do to him?"

"We'll know what we do to him!" Molt replied.

Freeze hit him on the head. "Shut up! You've already embarrassed us enough for one day..." the blue-haired teen grumbled. "Just get Mr. Mime to hold that Arcanine still while Hitmontop attacks. Maybe hurting his Pokemon companion will get that kid to talk."

"Wait, no! Leave Arcane alone!" Tracy cried.

"Too late!" Freeze said. "Hitmontop, use Shadow Rolling Kick!"

"Mr. Mime, use Shadow Psychic!" Molt added.

Mr. Mime waved its hands and a red glow surrounded Arcane, freezing his movements. Then Hitmontop started spinning upside-down and charged at the frozen Arcanine, kicking him while spinning to increase the pain. Arcanine yelped, blood running from the various wounds on his body.

Freeze started laughing. "Your stupid Arcanine doesn't stand a chance against the combined efforts of the Trickster Twins of Cipher!" When he opened his mouth to laugh again, a large rock collided with his head, face-planting him into the grass. Molt knelt beside his twin, staring at the large rock. When Freeze sat up, he snarled, "Okay, who the heck threw that?!"

"That Arcanine belongs to me, losers!" Leena shouted from the door, tossing another large rock up and down in her hand. "You want another rock thrown at you? If not, get the heck outta here before I break your teeth with it!"

"Grrr! So you're the girl we were sent to track." Freeze grunted, getting back up with some help from his redhead twin. "Boss never told us that you were so aggressive. Oh well, that makes things more fun! Outta the way, girl! We're here to take Prof. Oak to the base!"

"And _why_ would I let you do that? Especially after you hurt my Arcanine." Leena demanded, walking down the steps and dropping the rock. "You're the ones who better get outta the way and outta this town."

"Why?" Molt asked.

"You are _so_ annoying..." she grumbled, pulling out two Poke Balls. "Arcane return! Eden, get out here and show these idiots how a true Psychic Pokemon acts!"

Arcane vanished in a blast of light while Eden appeared. Seeing a fighting coming, the Gardevoir handed her egg over to her trainer before getting into attack position. Leena place the black egg into her backpack and pulled the bag on, making sure no one touched it. "Eden, use Mean Look and follow it up with Psychic!" she ordered.

"Gardevoir voir," Eden nodded. She turned toward the two Shadow Pokemon, eyes glowing yellow, and a giant pair of yellow eyes appeared behind her, glaring at the opponents. Mr. Mime and Hitmontop started shrinking back from the Gardevoir. Molt and Freeze shouted at their Pokemon, failing to catch their attention.

Then a blue glow surrounded not only the Pokemon, but Freeze and Molt too! They were tossed into the air and toyed around with, a small smile crossing Eden's face as she played with her prey. Then she decided it was time to end this. Pulling them backward, she prepared to fling them towards the sea. "Finish it, Eden!" Leena ordered.

"We're not through yet!" Freeze hissed. "Hitmontop, use Shadow Rapid Spin to break away and attack!"

The Shadow Fighting-type started spinning extremely fast, breaking out of the psychic hold and charging at Eden. Leena ran towards her Gardevoir and shoved her to the ground, saving her from the hit. The edge of the spinning Hitmontop slashed through Leena's jacket and shirt, drawing blood. "Eden, use Teleport and get them as far away from here as possible!"

"No! Mr. Mime, use Coun—" Molt never got to finish his sentence as the twins and their Pokemon were teleported away.

Tracy ran over to Leena, noticing her wound. "Leena, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch." She muttered. "Tell Prof. Oak that Cipher's after him. I'm leaving tonight to try and catch up with Mark and the Snaggers. I just barely held these guys off."

"Got it!" Tracy raced inside to inform Oak of the news.

Leena smiled and pulled out the egg from her bag, returning it to Eden. "I kept it nice and safe for you, Eden. I told you that I would."

Eden nodded, snuggling her egg. "Gardevoir voir," she said softly. "Voir voir?" She reached out a green arm and placed it on Leena's shoulder, healing the wound. Once that was done, Eden smiled. "Gardevoir voir!"

Leena touched the torn fabric, grumbling. "Thanks, Eden." She said. "Better heal Arcane so we can get going. We have a lot of catching up to do from now on. Where _did_ you put those guys, anyway?"

Eden shrugged.

_Near the center of Lake Acuity, Sinnoh region..._

The twins reappeared and fell into the freezing water. Upon resurfacing and returning their Pokemon, Molt started complaining. "Freeze, it's cold and I'm soaked. Where are we? I can't believe we lost!"

"Molt, shut up!" Freeze hissed. "It looks like we're at Lake Acuity in the Sinnoh region, home to the Legendary Pokemon Uxie."

"Can we find someplace warm to stay? Please!" Molt cried.

"Fine, we'll go to Snowpoint Town and call the boss to pick us up. Our mission to capture Prof. Oak has failed." Freeze grumbled.

The duo started swimming the rest of the way across, unaware that the yellow Mirage Pokemon Uxie was silently watching them leave. "Kyouuun..." it muttered, turning and fleeing deep into Acuity Cavern to get more sleep.

_The Rock Tunnel, one hour later..._

"My feet are numb, big brother!" KC complained.

"Well, so are ours!" Alex shot back. "Complaining isn't fixing anything. And is it just me or has that Staravia been flying over us for the past few minutes?"

"I noticed it too, Alex." Mark muttered. "Do you think it's Cipher's?"

"It looks normal to me," Luffy disagreed. "I don't see any odd colors on it."

"Neither do I," Ryan agreed.

"Hey, be quiet!" Alex hissed. "Do you hear that?"

The Snaggers fell silent, listening to the odd noise. It was a loud grinding noise, like an engine of a boat. "Maybe someone is down here?" KC suggested.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" a voice rang out.

"We can! Can you help us?" Luffy called.

"Yeah, just give me and Ookami a second to get the boat in the water!" the voice, a male, answered. "What are you doing out here at night?"

"We were chased down here!" Alex cried. "Please get us out of here!"

"Don't worry, we're coming!" Ookami answered. The sound of a boat motor came again along with a loud splashing as the boat cut through the water. "Just hang in there, guys! Don't move!"

"We won't!" Mark replied. "Just hurry! We've been down here for at least an hour or so!"

The boat motor got louder and louder until a small wave hit the group. A large white speedboat pulled up alongside them and a floodlight was fixed on them. "Don't look down, okay?" a young boy around Mark's age asked, reaching out a hand towards KC. "Swim very slowly and grab my hand. You'll be okay, I promise."

KC did as he was told, not daring to look down at what he guessed as a huge horde of Sharpedo and Carvanha. Once he reached edge of the boat, he grabbed the teen's hand and was pulled on board. Gasping for breath, KC felt a towel being draped on him and looked up to see Ookami. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Thanks," he replied, shifted once the older boy pulled Alex aboard. "Who are you?"

"Oh, me?" the 15 year old boy asked. The floodlight showed him entirely now, revealing a light tan and short blue hair. The teen was wearing a red and black T-shirt, black jeans with red spray paint on the bottom of both legs, and silver tennis shoes. A pair of blue-gray eyes stared back at him from behind silver and black framed glasses. "I'm Roen!"

"Roen, less talk and more rescues," Ookami reprimanded as she pulled Luffy over the edge of the ship.

"Sorry, Ookami!" Roen chuckled as he pulled Ryan toward the edge of the boat. "You know that I can't help but introduce myself to new people."

Once Ryan was onboard, it was time to fetch Mark and get out of there. As Roen reached out to grab the green-haired boy, a Sharpedo launched itself out of the water to try and bite him. Pulling back, the blue-haired boy waited until the coast was clear to pull Mark over to the boat and pull him in. As he pulled Mark over, another Sharpedo jumped out the water, aiming at Roen's turned back. Ookami shoved him down as the Sharpedo crunched down on her arm, making her scream.

"Ookami!" Alex cried.

"Staravia, use Peck on this Sharpedo!" Roen shouted. The Flying-type flew down and started pecking at the shark-like Pokemon's face, aiming for its eyes. Once the Sharpedo let go and splashed back into the water, Mark pulled off his red bandanna and wrapped it around Ookami's wound. "Are you okay?" Roen asked.

"I'm fine, Roen." Ookami replied, smiling. "Thank you. This isn't the first time I've been bitten by a Sharpedo." A memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

"_Papa, can we go look for more Relicanth now?" a little Ookami, not much more than 5, asked._

"_Of course, Ookami." Her father replied. "But we have to be careful about the Sharpedo, okay?"_

"_Okay!" Once they dove in, they were surrounded by blackness. "Papa, where do that Relicanth live?" she asked through her underwater communicator._

"_In that sunken ship, but the Sharpedo live there too." Her father warned. "Be extremely careful, Ookami. The Sharpedo are vicious and will attack anyone in their territory. If you see one, call for me and I'll make it leave."_

"_Got it, papa," Ookami promised as they went their separate ways. Suddenly her father was screaming. "Papa, what's wrong? Papa!"_

"_Get back to the ship, Ookami. I'll be there in a minute!" her papa shouted._

_As Ookami swam back as fast as she could, she had to endure her papa's screams. When she reached the boat, she pulled herself onboard and tore off all of her equipment except for her communicator. "Papa, are you there? Answer me, papa! Papa? Papa!"_

_The water became red with blood. Ookami stayed in the boat all night until her mother sailed out to get her in the morning. All she had been screaming was, "Papa! PAPA!!"_

"Ookami, are you okay?" Luffy asked as he saw her shaking.

Snapping out of the memory, she nodded and wiped the tears away. "I'm fine. Sorry about that. How about we get you back to Lavender Town?"

"That would be fantastic." Mark replied.

"Then off we go!" Roen cried, starting up the boat. As the boat tore off for the shore, the Snaggers looked at Ookami. _I wonder what she was thinking about._ Roen thought. As they headed for shore, everything was quiet except for the boat motor and the sound of Sharpedo fins cutting through the water in the darkness.

**Next Chapter:** Friends?

"Celadon City, we are here!" Luffy cried. "We finally made it!"

"Sorry that you two had to put up with us." Mark apologized to Roen and Ookami. "I'm hope we didn't bug you too much."

"No, not at all." Ookami replied, waving a hand. "I actually liked traveling with people other than Roen."

"What's wrong with traveling with me?" Roen asked, looking offended.

"Well, sometimes it gets boring traveling with the same person for a long time." Ookami said gently.

"Not with us!" Alex chirped. "It never gets boring with us!"

"I wonder why." Ryan said sarcastically.

Ookami laughed. "Maybe I might travel with you guys one day!"

_Maybe?_ Roen thought. _Well, if she ends up going with these guys, I'll go with her. Besides, I have nowhere else to go anyways._

--

Well, I hope you guys liked the chapter! zephyr15, I hope I got Roen's personality right. Mossnose, I hope you don't mind how Ookami's past was designed. I was trying to find out how to make her fear of swimming alone tie in with her past and I got this: the shark attack thing. I hope you don't hate it (whimper)! Anyways, I hope you all liked it! Please review!


	23. Chapter 23: Friends?

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! I'm glad you liked the chapter! zephyr51, I apologize for accidentally calling you 'zephyr15' at the end of the last chapter. That was stupid of me... This marks my 210th page on this story, the second biggest story I've ever written on one Word document before! Hooray for me! I hope you all like it! Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 23: Friends?

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt and finish it off!" Mark shouted.

"Pika pika... CHUUU!!" Electricity exploded from his small body as it hit Luffy's Croagunk. The frog-like Pokemon jumped back and returned with a Poison Jab attack. Sparks dodged, landing a few feet from the Poison-type.

The group of Snaggers had stopped for the day on Route 8 in a mostly-fenced-in patch of grass and flowers. Mark and Luffy were training their Pokemon against each other, Alex was napping, Ryan and KC were taking care of the Chimchar egg Luffy had given the younger raven-haired boy that morning, Ookami was sitting on the fence while watching the sky, and Roen was feeding his Pokemon. Basically, the group was relaxing before moving on.

"I can't believe that my big brother was carrying an egg with him all this time!" KC exclaimed, fingers brushing against the orange and red egg in his lap. "And it hasn't even hatched yet. Awesome!"

Ryan nodded, smiling. "Lucky," he said.

"So, Ryan, I forgot to ask you. How much do you know about a thing called Cipher?"

Ryan shrugged. "Nothing,"

Well, okay then. I'll tell you what they do." KC explained. "Cipher is trying to take over the world by enslaving Pokemon. We, as the Snaggers, have to stop him. The five of us are considered Snaggers and we have to save all the Pokemon they've enslaved."

Ryan nodded. _So that's what Mark meant by what he said in Vermillion. These guys are in trouble and this organization is trying to stop us. And I'm involved with these guys. I can't believe they're doing that to Pokemon._ Ryan smiled. "I'll help,"

"You're already helping, Ryan!" KC laughed.

"I am?"

"Yep! You helped us beat Mimzy by helping my big brother!" KC said. "That's one way that you've helped us."

"Good," Ryan replied.

"You got that right!" KC laughed.

Ookami smiled. _These guys are really nice. They act like one big family and not just a group of friends. I wish I had friends like that, other than just Roen._ She looked toward the blue-haired boy. "Hey, Roen! How much longer until we reach Celadon?"

Roen looked up from his Pokemon and said, "Well, we have to get through the Underground Path and Route 7 before we get there. So, I'd say about half an hour once we leave."

"Okay!" Ookami looked toward the battle between Luffy and Mark.

"So, is Roen your boyfriend?"

"Huh?" The brunette girl looked towards Alex, who had one eye open. "No, Roen is not my boyfriend. He's part of the swimming and diving club that we have at the Rock Tunnel, that's all."

"If you say so, Ookami." Alex yawned. "When are we leaving?"

"Hey, Mark!" Roen called. "When are we leaving?"

"Once our battle's done," Luffy replied. "Then we'll leave."

"Yeah, once I win!" Mark said.

"Not if I win first!" Luffy argued.

Alex sighed. "Boys... they have to fight over just about everything."

"Men are just overly competitive compared to us women, that's all." Ookami commented. "If they weren't, they wouldn't be men."

"Good point!" Alex laughed.

"Hey, guys! We're leaving!" Mark cried.

"Who won?" KC asked.

"Not Luffy, that's for sure!" Mark chuckled.

"You shut up, Mark!" Luffy whined, chasing him.

"Race you to the Underground Path!" KC said to Ryan before racing off. Ryan went after him, leaving the girls and Roen behind.

"Let's hurry before they leave us behind, too!" Ookami pointed out. The trio quickly took off after the others, unaware of a certain blonde swordsman spying on them.

_Near the edge of Cerulean City..._

"Darn it! Where are they already?" Leena spat. "Lavender Town should be this way but their scents are covered up."

Arcane whined pitifully, unable to track the Snaggers' scents. It had been long since covered by a multitude of other scents, most belonging to Cipher goons. Leena finally steered the Fire-type towards Route 9 and headed for Lavender Town.

"They better be there. I'm getting tired of running around in circles looking for them." Leena growled. _I hope those guys aren't in any trouble..._

_Route 7..._

They stepped out of the small building that led to the Underground Path, emerging on Route 7. Roen whistled. "This has got to be the smallest route in history."

"It is the smallest in history, at least in Kanto." Luffy said. "Celadon ought to be just up these ledges."

After walking up both ledges, the group of seven headed west and entered Celadon. A decorative fountain rested in front of the Celadon department Store, a large mansion was right beside the Pokemon Center, a perfume shop was right beside the gym, and the Game Corner was in the southern part of town. Breeders were bustling around Scissor Street, caring for their Pokemon clients. The only one who wasn't gawking at the second largest city was Ookami.

"Celadon City, we are here!" Luffy cried. "We finally made it!"

"Sorry that you two had to put up with us." Mark apologized to Roen and Ookami. "I'm hope we didn't bug you too much."

"No, not at all." Ookami replied, waving a hand. "I actually liked traveling with people other than Roen."

"What's wrong with traveling with me?" Roen asked, looking offended.

"Well, sometimes it gets boring traveling with the same person for a long time." Ookami said gently.

"Not with us!" Alex chirped. "It never gets boring with us!"

"I wonder why." Ryan said sarcastically.

Ookami laughed. "Maybe I might travel with you guys one day!"

_Maybe?_ Roen thought. _Well, if she ends up going with these guys, I'll go with her. Besides, I have nowhere else to go anyways._

"Where should we go first?" Mark wondered.

"If you guys want me to give you a tour, you're welcome to stay with me." Ookami suggested. "It's actually my mom's old house but I own it with Kumori."

"I wonder if Kumori is a nice guy like Ookami..." KC muttered.

The headed down the street and around the fountain. They went down and then to the east, stopping in front of a nice house with a fence around it. The front yard looked like a Pokemon playground. "Welcome to my place." Ookami said. "Kumori, I have guests so don't hurt them!"

_Hurt us?! Is he a muscle man or something?_ KC thought, only to hear barking. "Do you have a dog Pokemon around here?"

Suddenly a Mightyena tore around the corner of the house, barking happily as it jumped on Ookami. "Hahaha! Down boy, down! I'm missed you too!" she laughed.

"Awww! He's so cute!" Alex squealed, scratching him behind the ear. "What's his name?"

"Everyone, this is Kumori." Ookami introduced. "He takes care of the house when I'm not here. Though someone is always here to take care of him when I'm gone, too. Hello, is anybody else here?"

"I am, Ookami. You're back so soon?" a young woman with short black hair and gray eyes replied. When she exited the house and saw Mark, she smiled. "So, we meet again, Mark."

"Erika?!" Mark cried. "I didn't recognize you at first!"

"I'm not all that surprised, Mark." Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon, chuckled. "You never seem to recognize me in these clothes." She gestured to the bright yellow and red kimono that she was wearing. "It seems that you've gained friends. Is Ookami and Roen involved now?"

"Involved in what?" Roen asked.

"No, they're not." Luffy replied. "They were just leading us here since they were in the area, that's all."

"Ah, good." Erika said. "I'm not sure that Ookami would fare well in this war."

"What war?" Ookami asked. "And why wouldn't I fare well?"

"It's none of your concern, Ookami." Erika said gently. "Mark, when shall we fight against that woman?"

"In a day or two, Erika." Mark answered. "I just want to get some rest, take a shower, maybe eat a hot meal, and sleep before we do anymore fighting."

"Alright then. I shall be returning to the Pokemon Center." Erika informed them. "Do not mention any of this to Ookami and Roen. I do not want them involved in this."

"Understood," Ryan said.

"Thank you. Goodbye!" Erika turned and headed toward the Pokemon Center.

"What was that about?" Roen asked.

"I have no idea, but is anyone up for some lunch?" Ookami suggested.

"I am!" Alex cried. "What're your parents cooking?"

Ookami looked down sadly. "I... My parents are both dead, Alex." She admitted. "My dad died on a diving trip when I was five and my mother died when I was nine from an illness. I live all alone with Kumori and my Pokemon. Everyone in Celadon takes care of me, though."

"Oh, I'm... uh, sorry. I didn't know." Alex muttered, looking away. _She's just like Mark with the whole 'no parents' thing. But hers are dead while his just up and left him._

"You know, I could cook for us." Luffy said, clapping his hands. "Just tell me what you want and I'll cook it, Ookami!"

"Thank you, Luffy. Just cook anything, please." The brunette girl replied, smiling. "I'm sure the Pokemon want to come out, too. Yaiba, Sakura, Kurisutaru, come on out!"

The three Pokemon popped out. A large Sceptile stretched out and headed for a large tree by the fence, laying down in the shade for a nap. Both the Leafeon and Glaceon, a leafy fox and a blue fox, nuzzled her leg before racing up the small slide and sliding down it. Sparks quickly joined them.

Once everyone released their Pokemon, the trainers sat down in the grass while Luffy started cooking. "So, Ookami, your Pokemon seem well-trained." KC pointed out. "Where did you get them?"

"Well, I found my Sceptile, Yaiba, as a wounded Treecko in the forest." Ookami replied.

"_Ookami, don't go too far into the woods!"_

"_I won't, mama!" a six year old Ookami replied, running into the forest. She heard the sounds of fighting and ran towards the clearing to see some Rattata fighting a Treecko. After a few hits, Treecko collapsed and the Rattata moved in to finish it off. "Leave him alone!"_

_After chasing off the Rattata, Ookami looked up to see the Treecko struggling to his feet. Once it collapsed again, the little girl walked over to him. "Treecko tree," he groaned._

"_Oh no! You're hurt!" Ookami whimpered upon seeing his wounds. "Why were those Rattata picking on you?" When Treecko didn't reply, Ookami smiled. "I know. I'll bring you to mama to take care of you. Then you can get strong enough to beat those mean Rattata!"_

"_Tree... treecko tree?"_

_Ookami slipped off her jacket and wrapped it around the wounded Grass-type, picking him up and running back home. "Ookami, where did you find him?"_

"_In the forest with a bunch of mean Rattata, mama. They were hurting him bad, too!" Ookami cried. "But I chased them away. Could you take care of him, mama?"_

"_Of course, Ookami. But you have to take him back to the forest once he's healed, okay?"_

"_Yes, mama! I promise!"_

Ookami smiled at the memory. "Not long afterward, the doctor said that I had to take care of him until he got better. Yaiba's wounds would take about a few months to fully heal because those Rattata had broken a few of his ribs." She explained, frowning. "One day a few months later, some kids were picking on me. My family had a reputation for caring for many Pokemon, especially wolf Pokemon."

_Ookami was playing in the sandbox at the playground while the wounded Treecko watched over her from in a tree. His eyes narrowed upon seeing a few older boys approaching Ookami. One shoved her down while the others started kicking sand at her. "Stop it! Leave me alone, Chris!"_

"_Why should we, wolf-girl?" the oldest of the trio, Chris, replied. "Shouldn't you be living in the forest with your Pokemon friends, wolf-girl? You'd fit in better there!"_

"_Yeah, go back to your real home!" a boy with tape across his nose, Eric, taunted._

"_Are you gonna cry now, wolf-girl? Gonna howl for your Pokemon friends to save you?" a short boy, Marco, laughed._

"_Just leave me alone!" Ookami cried, getting up. "Mama!"_

_As she ran past Chris, he reached out and grabbed her shirt collar. "Where do you think you're going, wolf-girl? Stay here and fight!"_

"_Noooo!" she cried. "Mama, help!"_

_She pulled away from him and ran past Marco, who tripped her with an outstretched foot. "Why are you running away, wolf-girl? You're such a klutz! No wonder your dad died since you can't help anyone, especially yourself!"_

_As the trio laughed, Treecko clenched a fist and jumped down from the tree. Charging at the boys, he twisted around and hit Chris in the face with his tail. Eric and Marco started screaming as they ran. Chris grabbed a stick and hit Treecko, making him recoil in pain. When Ookami tried to stop him, Chris hit her across the face with the stick, snapping it in half._

"_Stay outta my way, wolf-girl!" he shouted._

_Ookami curled up on the ground, crying as blood ran down from a cut on her forehead. Treecko screeched in anger and hit the boy with his tail again. Chris ended up running away like his friends, leaving the wounded duo alone. Treecko gently shook Ookami's shoulder. "Treecko, you saved me?"_

"_Treecko tree," He nodded._

"_Thank you, Treecko." Ookami said, petting him on the head. "I wish you could always be here to protect me, Treecko."_

"_Tree..."_

"Yaiba has been protecting me ever since then." Ookami said. "After the six months of healing were over, I had to return Yaiba to the forest. But the most amazing thing happened then."

"_Bye bye, Treecko! I'll miss you!" Ookami cried, watching Treecko vanished into the forest. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting hit her ears and she ran back to the clearing that she found Treecko in 6 months earlier. There he was again, but he was beating the Rattata that were attacking him._

_As each Rattata hit the ground, it ran away from its new enemy. When they were all gone, Treecko turned to Ookami and smiled. "Treecko tree!" he cried happily._

"_Yeah, you beat them! That'll show them not to mess with you, Treecko!" Ookami cheered. "I guess this is goodbye, though."_

_Treecko shook his head. "Treecko treecko," he said, reaching out and tugging on one of the Poke Balls that her mother gave her. He pointed to the ball and then himself._

"_Huh? You want to stay with me?" Ookami asked._

"_Treecko tree!" he nodded._

"_Okay then." Ookami took back the ball and tossed it forward, capturing Treecko in a flash of red light. Once it clicked, she opened the ball and released her new friend. "Let's go home now, Treecko!"_

"_Treecko tree tree!"_

"Not long after he evolved and learned Leaf Blade did I decide to call him Yaiba, meaning blade." Ookami finished. "He's been with me ever since."

"That's amazing, Ookami!" Mark cried.

"You never told me that story before!" Roen complained.

"That was just beautiful!" Alex said, smiling.

"Utterly fantastic," Ryan muttered.

"I wish that could happen to me..." KC said dreamily.

"No you don't." Ookami disagreed. "I had to go through a lot of pain to get Yaiba's trust. I would choose not to do that if I could turn back time, but it was worth it in the end."

Under the tree, Yaiba opened one eye and nodded. "Scep," Then he fell back asleep.

"And what about your Leafeon and Glaceon?" Alex asked.

"They were both presents from my cousin Tori, who lives in Sinnoh. He raised the sisters especially for me." Ookami replied, smiling. "They were given to me a few days after mother died. I'll never forget how Tori gave them to me."

_Ookami was crying in her room, her Treecko friend by her side. The bedroom door opened and a boy with pale blonde hair entered the room. He was carrying a large pet carrier that had a blanket thrown over it. "Ookami, it's me! Tori!"_

"_Tori! I missed you!" she wailed, jumping off the bed and hugging him. "I was so scared when mama died!"_

"_I know, and I'm sorry that I didn't make it here earlier. My ship was delayed because of a storm." Tori apologized. "I brought your mom a present but I think you need it more."_

"_What is it?" Ookami asked._

_Pulling the blanket back and setting the carrier on the floor, Tori opened the door and tapped the back a few times to coax its inhabitants out. After a few seconds, a beautiful light brown fox with leaves on it stepped out, along with a bright blue fox with darker blue patches and an odd headpiece. Ookami squealed in joy as she hugged them._

"_Are these really for me?!" she asked, hugging the two fox Pokemon._

"_I trained and evolved them especially for you, Ookami." Tori replied, smiling. "I was going to give them to your mom so she could give them to you, but then this happened and I had to come personally. I hope you like them."_

"_I don't like them, Tori, I love them!" Ookami cried._

"_Well, I'm glad for that!" Tori chuckled. "What're you going to call them?"_

"_This one will be Sakura!" Ookami said, pointing to the Leafeon. "And I'll call you Kurisutaru because you look like a blue crystal."_

"_I think those names fit them perfectly, Ookami." Tori replied._

"_Thanks, Tori! I'll never forget this!" Ookami said._

"_Good, neither will I."_

"I've had those two ever since. Tori drops by once a year to check up on me." Ookami said, smiling. "Kurisutaru is kind of shy and quiet, but she's a bit overprotective of Sakura and me. Sakura is sweet and gentle, but she'll fight to defend Kurisutaru and me. Those two are sisters, just so you know."

"Cute!" Alex cried, walking over and petting Sakura. The Leafeon purred happily, rubbing her head against Alex's hand. "She's so soft, Ookami. You must take good care of them, right?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Ookami asked.

"No reason," Alex replied, reaching out to pet Kurisutaru.

"Lunch is served!" Luffy called, walking over with a tray of burgers, chips, and grapes. KC started laughing at his older brother, who glared at him. "What are you laughing about?! Do you want my clothes to get dirty?" he barked, motioning to the pink frilly apron around his waist that said 'Kiss the Cook' surrounded by hearts.

KC held back his laughter and said, "No but that has to be the most hilarious apron I've ever seen you wear, big brother!" He burst out laughing again.

"Ugh, you are _so_ immature, KC," Luffy grumbled, setting the tray on the table. "Bon appetite, everyone!"

After a few bites, Ookami looked at Roen and smiled. "Luffy's a good cook, isn't he?" she asked. "I haven't had a burger this good since Risu, my cousin in Johto, came over last summer."

"Well, he must be a very good cook to compete with me." Luffy chuckled.

"Um, Luffy," Ookami said. "Risu is a girl."

Luffy looked embarrassed. "Oh," he muttered. "Sorry about that."

KC started laughing again. "You thought she was a boy!"

"Oh yeah?" Luffy growled. "Coming from the guy who though Kumori was a giant muscle man, not a Pokemon!"

"Well, she said guard and I just thought..." KC whined before stuffing a few chips in his mouth, defeated.

"Stop fighting, guys." Alex hissed. "You're making us look bad in front of a friend!"

"Yeah, cut it out!" Mark agreed. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse them. Sibling rivalry, you see."

"Is not!!" the brothers shouted.

"Please, do what you want here. I don't mind." Ookami replied. "It's been a while since I've had guests in this old house besides Roen and Erika."

"What, am I a bother to you or something?" Roen asked. "If I'm bothering you too much, just tell me and I'll stop."

"No, it's okay, Roen!" the brunette girl cried. "I'm just saying that you've been the only guest here until these people showed up, that's all!"

Roen sighed and looked away. "Sorry, Ookami. I just hate being a bother to people, especially people I'm around almost everyday."

"Oh," Ookami muttered. _Roen's been like this ever since he joined the diving club. I wonder why he's so sensitive about friends. At least he's like me in that sense..._

_On the island that houses Cipher..._

"Freeze, I'm still cold!" Molt complained as the twins walked down the hallway toward the boss' chambers. "Can't I take a warm bath first, please?!"

"Don't worry, we'll be in hot water soon enough once the boss finds out that we failed our mission." Freeze hissed.

"You mean the boss will let us warm up after he hears of our failure. That sounds nice!" Molt said, smiling.

"No, you idiot! That's an expression!" Freeze yelled. "He's going to kill us for our failure!"

"But I don't wanna die!" Molt cried.

Freeze slapped his face in frustration. "That's an expression too, you dolt. We get a harsh punishment, not death. Geez, I have to find an easier way to talk to you."

"You stupid twins better shut up before the boss gets mad and makes your stupid punishment harsher." The twins turned to see Mimzy in front of them. "Sometimes you guys are so stupid! You give Cipher a bad name."

"Mimzy, shut it before I make you!" Freeze barked, waving a fist.

"Both of you better shut it!" Rosalean shouted, appearing from around the corner. "Mimzy, get going to Training Room D! And don't you two have a hearing with the boss? Well, move it!" She stomped off, fuming.

"What's got her so worked up?" Molt asked quietly.

"She just mad because the stupid Snaggers beat her in Vermillion." Mimzy explained. "All she could talk about was getting her stupid revenge on the stupid Snaggers for her stupid Mist and Blazer, both of who were defeated in Cerulean."

"Ouch, that's harsh!" Molt whimpered.

"No duh," Mimzy grumbled. "You better get to the boss' room before he becomes impatient."

The twins nodded and ran the rest of the way to the boss' room to receive their punishment. Upon entering, their punishment was received immediately. Molt was forced to clean the halls of the base, _every single one_. And Freeze was forced to download all of the data in the main computers and supercomputers onto disks. Why the boss made these punishments, nobody knew except that they were boring and took a long time to do. The perfect humiliation for the twins. Well, at least they weren't fired.

Meanwhile, Poindexter was cleaning out all of the data in his computers. Something told the brunette hacker that Cipher was up to something, and he wasn't willing to let Cipher get hold of the files that he and Mist had made. Once all of his computers had been wiped clean and shut down, he relaxed. _Too bad, Cipher. You're not getting hold of these files, not in my lifetime. I just hope that Mist knows what he's doing now._ Placing the disks in a small shoebox under his desk, he rebooted his computer and started playing games. The shoebox had a message written on it, saying, 'Things for Mist' in bold black letters.

_Celadon City, near Celadon Department Store..._

Will groaned, laying on the cement edge of the fountain with one hand dipped in the cold water. _I wonder if Mark is here yet. I've been here for one day and no sign of them. Maybe taking on Erika will pass the time but I haven't seen her around the gym. Maybe someone took over her gym like they did all the others. I might as well find out._

Rolling over and sitting upright on the edge of the fountain, he was about to stand up when a loud shout spooked him, causing him to fall backwards into the cold water of the fountain. Sitting up and spitting out water, he held a hand above his eyes to keep the water out so he could see the person in front of him better. "What were you thinking, scaring a trainer like that?!" Will shouted.

"I'm really sorry!" a small voice cried. "I thought you were one of those goons that hang around here! I guess I must've been mistaken."

"Who are you, anyways?" Will demanded, hauling himself out of the fountain. _Great! Now my clothes are soaked! I hope I don't catch a cold._

"I'm Zack, a fellow Pokemon trainer." The boy said. He had messy blonde hair and sky blue eyes, along with a slight tan. He was wearing a green jacket over a light blue T-shirt, green jeans, and red tennis shoes. He looked about a year younger than Will himself. A green and brown turtle was standing by his side.

"Well, nice to meet you." Will replied, standing up and shaking the water off his legs. "My name's Will."

"Well, it's nice to meet you too!" Zack laughed. "I'm really sorry about that. There've been weird goons stalking around Celadon and I've been fighting some, but I keep losing. I thought you were one, too. Sorry!"

"Whatever, Zack," said Will, looking toward the Pokemon Center. "I have to rent a room in the Pokemon Center anyways. I might as well stay there while I wait."

"You can come to my place and dry your clothes, maybe even spend the night if you want." Zack invited. "My parents wouldn't mind, and maybe we could battle one another."

"Well, I _am_ waiting for someone to come find me," Will grumbled. "But sometimes he takes hours to get to the next city. I guess I'll stay with you until he shows up, whenever that is."

"Okay, my house is this way." Zack said. "Come on!"

Will sighed and followed the boy to his place. As they were passing an old house surrounded by a fence, Will could've sworn that Mark and his friends were there. But that would mean that they beat him here. Stopping himself from charging in and demanding a battle, he continued to follow Zack. _You better prepare yourself for our next battle, Mark. I'll be ready once I get a good rest at Zack's place and win a battle._ The Snaggers didn't notice their brunette rival as he walked past silently.

Once they reached the blonde's house, Zack informed his parents of their new guest. After being welcomed, Will and Zack headed to the back yard to prepare for their battle. "So, how long have you been a trainer?" Zack asked, releasing his Squirtle.

"About 4 years now. You?" Will asked, releasing his Staraptor.

"Nearly 3 years, I think." Zack replied. "Ready to get started?"

"You bet!" Will agreed. "Staraptor, use Brave Bird!"

"Squirtle, use Water Gun to knock it away!"

Staraptor tucked in its wings and charged once it flew into the air. Squirtle let loose a blast of water to try and knock it off course. The Flying-type, seeing the move coming, broke off its move and dodged before resuming it. Crashing headfirst into the Water-type Pokemon, Staraptor stumbled backwards. _That's right,_ Will thought. _Staraptor suffers a third of the damage upon impact with the target. That was pretty careless._

Squirtle shook off the damage and stood up again. "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump!" Zack ordered.

The little turtle unleashed a giant blast of water. Staraptor launched itself into the air, trying to escape to pressurized water that was aimed at it. Twisting around and charging at Squirtle, the Flying-type crashed into the turtle again. The Hydro Pump ended as both Pokemon backed off. _At this rate, another one of those Brave Birds will knock Squirtle out,_ Zach thought. _How can I hit it? Maybe slowly it down with Ice Beam and then...? I got it!_

"Staraptor, get ready to counterattack," said Will. The bird Pokemon shook its wings, preparing to defend.

"Squirtle, let's use Strategy C!" Zach commanded. Squirtle nodded, smirking at its opponent.

_Strategy C? What the heck is that?!_ Will thought frantically. _I have no idea what they'll do next. It's best if Staraptor is ready for anything now._

"Staraptor, get in the air and get ready for anything!" Will shouted. "We don't know what they'll hit us with next!"

As the Flying-type flew into the air, Zack grinned. _Bingo!_ "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump and follow up with Ice Beam!"

Will expected the water attack to be hitting Staraptor about now. What he didn't expect was Squirtle to turn around and launch itself into the air with Hydro Pump. Once Squirtle was close to Staraptor, the turtle twirled around and released Ice Beam at close range. Staraptor dodged it and watched as Squirtle fell, only to launch itself back up with another Hydro Pump. "If that's how you want to play, then take this! Staraptor, use Close Combat and knock it out of the sky. But avoid that Ice Beam!" Will cried.

Staraptor came in close and started pecking and swiping at the Water-type. In retaliation, Squirtle started trying to tackle the bird in midair. The duo started falling since they were so intent on beating each other to keep in midair. Ignoring their trainers' cries, the duo crashed into the pool in Zack's backyard. Staraptor started shrieking for help while Squirtle swam around happily.

Will groaned and returned his Staraptor. "First Mark and now Zack. How many people am I going to lose to?!" he whined.

"You just have to keep training, Will." Zack said, sitting beside him at the edge of the pool. "Hey, are you on a Pokemon journey?"

"Um, yeah. Why?" Will asked.

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having a... traveling buddy." Zack asked awkwardly. "You see, I've only left Celadon when my parents go on trips to different towns. Other than that, I haven't actually had the chance to leave on a real Pokemon journey. And since you and I are like friends now, I was wondering if I could go with you."

"Uh, well..." Will sighed. _I like going solo but maybe having a buddy won't be so hard. At least I'll have some support when I battle Mark again._ He smiled. "Sure, you can come with me."

"I can? Really?! That's awesome!" Zack cried. "I've gotta tell my parents. I'm finally going on a real Pokemon journey! Yahoo!"

_Over excited much?_ Will thought, smiling. "Calm down, we aren't going to leave Celadon just yet! I still have things left to do here!" _Like finish my battle with Mark._

"Oh, okay." Zack replied. "And Will, thanks for letting me come with you. I have some stuff left to do, too. Like beat the rest of those goons that have been hanging around."

"Got it, Zack," said Will, nodding. Then he muttered, "If those goons have any connections to those guys who've taken over the gyms, Mark might not be the only one in trouble. We might be in trouble for helping out. You better thank us later, Mark."

"You say something, Will?"

"No, Zack! I didn't say anything!" _Better if I keep this a secret. I don't want my traveling buddy deserting me._

_Ookami's house..._

"Hey, guys! The sun's setting!" Roen cried, pointing to the bright orange, pink, and purple sky.

"It sure is pretty." Luffy chuckled. "Right, KC?"

"Definitely!" KC replied.

"At least we're not rushing off to battle or walking this time." Alex pointed out, sighing in relief. "I miss just sitting back and looking at it, not having to worry about Cipher and Shadow Pokemon... or saving the world."

"Huh?" Ookami asked. "What's Cipher?"

"ALEX!!" Mark roared.

"Sorry!" Alex squeaked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Ookami." Mark said quickly. "Nothing you or Roen need to worry about."

"Well, okay. If you say so," Ookami muttered, not quite understanding.

"You guys are too loud." Ryan groaned.

"Oh, shut it!" Alex spat.

"Okay," Ryan agreed, falling silent.

As Ookami stood up and headed for the fence gate, Roen called, "Where are you going?"

"On a walk," she answered. "I might drop by Zack's and ask him to accompany me. I'll be back in a bit!"

"Be careful!" the blue-haired boy replied.

"Thanks!" the brunette thanked, running toward her blonde neighbor's house. "Hey, Zack! You want to come on a walk with me?"

The blonde stepped out of his house, followed closely by Will. "Sure! Do you mind if my new traveling buddy comes with?"

"Traveling buddy?" Ookami repeated.

"Yeah! I'm going to go on a Pokemon journey with my new friend, Will." Zack introduced. "Will, this is Ookami Ryuuyuki. She's my neighbor and best friend."

"Hey, I'm Will. Nice to meet you." Will replied, shaking Ookami's hand. "Those guys that are staying with you, they're my rivals."

"Oh, they are?" Ookami questioned as they headed down the road towards the Game Corner. "So, where should we go?"

"How about we walk through the department store?" Will suggested. "I need more Poke Balls anyway."

"Sure!" Ookami said.

As the group headed towards the Celadon Department Store, they noticed two men standing near the fountain, shouting at one another. One had blonde hair that was parted down the middle with long bangs on the right side covering his right eye, the edge of it dyed purple. The other had a dark green mohawk with multiple piercings on his ears, lower lip, nose, and above one eyebrow. Both wore black leather jackets, black pants, and black boots, all with a jagged C stitched on them in bright red.

_Those guys must be goons for the organization Mark is fighting!_ Will thought. _They have the same jagged mark on their clothing as all the other goons in the towns and cities we passed. Are they here to look for Mark and his friends?_

"Maybe we should go somewhere else." Will suggested. "I don't want to get near those guys."

"I agree." Ookami said. "Zack, let's go back."

"Why? I bet I could beat them if they challenged us to a fight." The blonde boasted. "Besides, those are the goons that have been terrorizing Celadon since last week. I'll show them who's boss."

"You'll show _who_ who's boss, little man?"

The trio slowly turned around to find the blonde goon standing behind them, tapping his foot. The mohawk guy stood up and walked toward them, grinning. "Shun, can I beat these brats up?" he asked, cracking his knuckles. "The blonde was calling Cipher names."

"Hang on a sec!" the blonde hissed at Shun. He knelt down and glared at them. "If you three apologize for badmouthing us, we'll let you go without injuries."

"Well, why—" Will started.

"Why should we? You guys were terrorizing Celadon!" Zack burst out. "You ought to be apologizing, not us!"

"Ooh, we got a feisty one." Shun chuckled. "Come on, Sid. I'll beat him up nice and quick!"

"Shun, you know the rules." Sid growled. "No beating up civilians unless they're those Snagger brats. Once they apologize, we have to let them go. Do you want to get caught by Officer Jenny? I definitely don't."

"Ugh, fine!" Shun grunted. "Have you three seen these kids? They're in big trouble and need to be brought into custody immediately." He held out a wanted poster containing five photos.

Will gasped. The photos were of Mark, Alex, Luffy, KC, and Ryan! _What did those guys do to get into so much trouble?!_

"I know them!" Ookami cried. "They're at my house right now! They didn't seem like bad people to me, though. What did they do?"

"That's confidential information, missy." Sid replied. "Now, be so kind as to show us where these criminals are. They're to be executed for their crimes by our boss."

"Hang on, Ookami!" Will barked. "Why should we trust these guys?"

Ookami fell silent. _He's right, why should I trust them. Alex mentioned saving the world but from whom? These guys? If so, these guys are untrustworthy._ "Got it, Will." She agreed.

"I don't know what you two are talking about but I have a feeling that this will all boil down to a battle, right?" Zack asked.

"Probably, Zack. Now answer our questions: What did our friends do?" Will demanded.

"We're not allowed to tell you, twerp!" Shun snarled. "Now show us where they are before we hurt you bad!"

"Shun, calm down!" Sid hissed. "We can't tell you but your friends are being treated as criminals for interfering in our organization's special project, created to change the world. Please show us where they are before we _are_ forced to hurt you until you talk."

"No!" Ookami replied. "Mark and his friends do not look like criminals! I will not believe what you say about them!"

"Believe it or not, it's all true." Sid pressed. "The sooner they are caught, the sooner our project will be put back into motion. Now tell us where they are!"

"Forget it!" Zack shouted. 'Turtwig, use your Vine Whip to tangle these guys up!"

"Darn it!" Sid cried. "Shun, show these guys how a real Pokemon trainer fights!"

"Got it, Sid!" Shun replied. "Shadow Shieldon, use Take Down!"

Turtwig wrapped its vines around the smaller shield Pokemon. Shieldon grunted and twisted its oval shield-like face around, sending Turtwig sailing over its head and crashing into the ground. When it looked forward, water sprayed into its face and startled it. Squirtle tackled the shield Pokemon, crashing it into the ground. A few more Water Guns later and Shieldon was down. Shun cried out in rage and twirled around, running away.

When Sid turned to follow his bigger companion, vines wrapped around his legs and pulled him to the ground. "Oh, no you don't!" Zack said. "You're gonna answer our questions whether you like it or not!"

"That guy left his Pokemon behind!" Ookami pointed out.

"We'll deal with it later, Ookami." Will replied. "I want to find out why these guys are after my rival and his friends."

"You... y-you guys are S-Snaggers too, r-right? You h-have to be!" Sid stuttered, shaking. "L-Let me go and I-I'll tell you e-everything I know!"

Once released, Sid told the trio everything about Cipher that he knew. Once all was said and done, Sid ran away as fast as possible, screaming, "I have to warn the boss that there are three more Snaggers!"

"What about Shieldon?" Ookami asked.

"I'll deal with it, Ookami."

"Mark!" Will cried as the green-haired Snagger stepped out from behind the fountain. "When did you get here?"

"Right when he finished telling you about Cipher." Mark replied coldly. "Do you know what kind of danger you three are in now? Erika told me not to get Ookami involved and yet you guys did! Do you know what you guys have just found out?!"

"Mark, calm down. Please!" Ookami begged.

"Why should I? Way too many people are getting involved in this mess and it's all my fault!" Mark yelled. "Why can't I stop this from happening?"

"Mark, just shut up and listen for a second!" Will cried. "I know that this is very bad, I just know it. So what if it's dangerous? I don't care! This is the kind of adventure I've been dreaming of!"

"You could end up dead, all of you." Mark protested.

"So? My Pokemon journey has just gotten a whole lot cooler!" Zack whooped. "But what about Shieldon? That guy left it behind."

Mark pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it, capturing the Rock/Steel-type. "That guy told you all about Shadow Pokemon, right? Well, we have to capture and purify them now."

"I can't wait to tell Roen about this!" Ookami chirped.

"I think I just gained a whole ton of new companions..." Mark groaned. "Let's just go home now. We have to beat that Cipher Gym Leader tomorrow and get going. You guys in now?"

"Yeah!" Zack cried.

"Of course, as long as I can tell Roen." Ookami agreed.

"I guess your rival has just joined the party!" Will joked. "I'm in, too!"

"Fine, whatever." Mark mumbled. "Let's get home and get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes sir!" laughed Will as the four headed home.

_Lavender Town..._

Leena sighed as she collapsed on her bed. The sun had fully set and it was dark now. She had been forced to rent a room in the Pokemon Center, not wanting to travel at night. "They're probably at Celadon by now. If I can catch up to them tomorrow, I'll be happy about that." Leena muttered, rolling over.

She pulled out her PokeNav and noticed that Prof. Oak had left a call. Opening it, she read the message. _Dear Leena, it seems that Mark has gained more friends. He called and told me that four more kids have joined his group, including his rival. Thought you might want to know that since you'll be catching up with them sooner or later. Sincerely, Prof. Oak._

_Four more already?_ Leena thought, putting her PokeNav away. _That makes it a total of ten Snaggers, including me. Geez, that's gonna be one big crowd._

Leena sighed. "This is turning out to be one big adventure instead of a save-the-world effort. I hope those guys are keeping on track. Saffron's coming up, so I hope they're ready to keep fighting."

"Gardevoir voir," Eden agreed, rubbing her black egg. Suddenly, Eden went rigid and started whimpering. "Garde! Gardevoir voir!" she cried.

"Eden, what's wrong? Eden!" Leena cried. Eden hadn't done this since the news that Mew had been captured went out. "Eden, did another Legendary Pokemon get caught? Who, Eden? You have to tell me! Eden!"

"Gardevoir voir!" Eden screamed, a purple aura surrounding her body. "Gardevoir! Garde!"

"Shoot, not again!" Leena spat, snatching the egg and placing it in her backpack. "Eden, calm down or that shadow will take over again! Eden, fight it!"

"Garde... GARDEVOIR!!" Eden screamed before collapsing.

"Eden! Eden, are you okay? Talk to me! What happened?" Leena asked, pulling the Psychic-type into her lap. "Eden..."

_Leena,_ Eden said telepathically. Her voice sounded weak and cracked. _They're gone. The balance of the world is changing. Darkness will be the new ruler, not light. They're gone. They're really gone._

"Who's gone, Eden?" Leena asked.

_Shamouti Island..._

The winds were whipping up viciously, tearing shingling off rooftops and putting out torches. An old man wearing a red robe with dark red edges stood on the edge of a large temple. A Slowking stood by his side. Six helicopters swooped low over the ocean, carrying two large nets between them. As they left, a young raven-haired boy wear a blue robe with dark blue edges entered the temple room.

"Elder! Those machines took them!" he cried to the old man.

Slowking looked up at the old man. "What do we do know? We don't know where the Chosen One is right now." It said.

"Don't worry, Slowking." The old man replied. "The Legendary Arceus has chosen a new child to save us from them. He will have many friends and save entire regions from this never-ending menace that is Cipher."

"But Elder, who is this child?" the blue-robed boy asked. "Surely, the Beast of the Sea is angered by this act. The world's balance will be upset again!"

"The Beast of the Sea was the one to suggest this boy." The Elder said, eyes watching as the helicopters left with their cargo. "It and another suggested this boy long ago. The world's balance is indeed upset but this boy and his friends will restore it. We just have to watch and wait, like always."

"Of course, sir." The boy replied, bowing his head. "But what will Shamouti do now? This has only happened once before when that man Lawrence came."

"We will wait out the storm once again." The Elder said, turning and entering the room to abandon his place at the edge. "That is all we can do until the time is right."

"Of course, Elder."

_Pallet Town..._

"Prof. Oak! Come look at this!" Tracy called. "We have a message from Shamouti Island!"

"Well, what does it say?" Oak asked.

"It says..."

_Lavender Town..._

_Moltres and Articuno!_ Eden gasped. _Moltres and Articuno are gone! Cipher has taken them!_

Leena's eyes widened in fear. "No..."

_On the island housing Cipher, laboratory..._

The helicopters were shown on a large computer screen, roaring towards the base. Prof. Pine smiled softly, resting a hand on the tank that housed Shadow Mew. "Don't worry, Mew. You'll be having company soon. Very soon." He promised.

"Do they have them?" the boss' voice rang out on the intercom.

"Only two, but that will be more than enough to pose a threat." Pine replied. "This'll teach those Snagger brats that we aren't joking." _Shadow Master, I hope you have a plan to deal with this._

"Hahaha! Excellent work, Pine. You truly are the most loyal worker I have in all of Cipher." The boss complimented. "Keep this up and you might be promoted."

"Yes sir!" Pine said, saluting though his boss could not see it. "With the world's balance in jeopardy, the Snaggers and the Pokemon Leagues will have to take Cipher seriously now!"

"Indeed!" the boss' laughter echoed through the entire base.

Poindexter and Mist looked up from the computer in Poindexter's room. After hearing the report, they looked at one another and gulped. "We have to hurry up, Mist!" the brunette hacker urged.

"I have to agree with you." Mist replied. "We have to work faster if we're going to get our plan into motion."

"Then let's do it!" With that, the duo quickly returned to work with the intent of finishing their plan as quickly as possible. _Don't worry, Anna,_ Mist thought. _I'm doing just what you want me to do now. Cipher's plans will be cut short without me to help._

**Next Chapter:** No Longer Just A Game

"You're kidding!" Mark barked at Oak over the videophone. "Tell me you're joking!"

"I'm afraid I'm not joking, Mark. You need to step up the pace now." Oak recommended. "Cipher is no longer messing around. What they're doing now could destroy the world as we know it."

"Man, this sounded so easy until Cipher had to go off and steal the Legendary Birds." Alex complained. "Now the whole world is in danger of being destroyed."

"Is Cipher even thinking about what might happen if you take all three away from Shamouti?" Roen asked.

"I highly doubt it, Roen." Oak replied. "World conquest is the only thing they're thinking about now."

"This just sucks!" KC whined. "Now what?!"

"I really don't know, KC." Mark admitted. "Keep going as we are now? Or skip to getting the Legendaries back? That's a tough decision."

--

Hey, I hope you like the chapter, everyone! The next chapter is the Florence battle. Yeah, now there is a big group of Snaggers traveling together. I've also made the decision to break this story up based on regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Orre. I might make separate stories based on the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands, too. Anyways, I added a bit of drama with the whole kidnapping of Moltres and Articuno. As for whole the two robed guys are, you'll have to wait and find out later. I hope you all liked it. Please review!


	24. Chapter 24: No Longer Just A Game

Hey everybody

Hey everybody! I'm glad that you liked the chapter! This chapter is the Florence battle, as you all should know. I hope you enjoy it! I want to give thanks to some of my newest reviewers:

**DR2334**, thanks for the Trickster Twins and idea for the story. I like your unique way of introducing characters and ideas in an acting form. Maybe Freeze and Molt will encounter Electra in the near future. Thank you for reading my story and helping me with it.

**zephyr51**, thank you for letting me use Roen in this story (I like his name too). I love how he's a bit reckless and a grudge holder. Thanks for the character and for reading my story.

**jubilife**, I'm glad that I distracted you from flaming people, even if you only do it to pass the time. I hope you find the time to continue reading my story and maybe submit a character if you choose. Thank you for the review and for reading the first chapter.

**eric12377**, thanks for the character and for reading my story. I'm glad that I have siblings reading my story, that surprised me and I like surprises. I hope you continue to read my story and give reviews.

**Tenacious D**, thanks for the reminder. I knew of the three secret Pokemon (Arceus, Shaymin, and Darkrai), I just always end up rounding it to 490 instead of 493. Yeah, that cleared it up. Sorry 'bout that! If you were to read up to Cerulean City, Darkrai makes a few appearances.

**Beautiful Loner**, thanks for reading! I know, Cipher just doesn't seem to have enough fans and they're a great villain. I work hard at making each battle unique so that it's not the same thing over and over. I hate it when all the battles seem the same. I hope you continue reading.

I'm grateful to everybody who has reviewed my story. Your reviews, characters, ideas, and support are what keep this story alive. Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 24: No Longer Just A Game

"Mark, wake up! Wake up!" Alex cried, desperately shaking the older Snagger. "Mark, please get up! It's an emergency!"

"What could be so urgent that you have to wake me up at...?" Mark looked at the clock. "Four in the morning?"

"Um, let me think." said Will sarcastically. "Cipher just stole two of the three legendary birds, putting the world's balance into whack! Now get up and listen to this!"

"Alright! I'm up, I'm up!" Mark yelled, shoving his sleeping bag away and getting to his feet. He and his friends, including Will and Zack, had slept on the first floor while Ookami and Roen slept in their rooms upstairs. After being dragged upstairs by a frantic Luffy, he saw Ookami and Roen standing near a videophone. "You have a videophone in your house?"

Roen nodded stiffly. "Oak called and told us to get you. Tracy was screaming something about Moltres and Articuno being kidnapped."

When Mark walked over to the videophone, Oak told him everything. There was even a videotape from some tourists that saw the commotion and taped it. Ookami was whimpering now. "That's terrible." She sniffed.

"You're kidding!" Mark barked at Oak over the videophone. "Tell me you're joking!"

"I'm afraid I'm not joking, Mark. You need to step up the pace now." Oak recommended. "Cipher is no longer messing around. What they're doing now could destroy the world as we know it."

"Man, this sounded so easy until Cipher had to go off and steal the Legendary Birds." Alex complained. "Now the whole world is in danger of being destroyed."

"Is Cipher even thinking about what might happen if you take all three away from Shamouti?" Roen asked.

"I highly doubt it, Roen." Oak replied. "World conquest is the only thing they're thinking about now."

"This just sucks!" KC whined. "Now what?!"

"I really don't know, KC." Mark admitted. "Keep going as we are now? Or skip to getting the Legendaries back? That's a tough decision."

"If we skip to save the legendaries, Cipher might regain control over Kanto." Zack pointed out. "All your hard work would have been for nothing."

"I have to agree with Zack on this one." Luffy added. "We might save three Legendaries but Cipher will just find a way to get them back from us. If we do that, we might as well abandon the regions altogether."

"Mark?" Alex asked. "I think we should help the regions. If we all step up together, maybe the regions could fight off Cipher once the Cipher Gym Leaders are gone. Then we could save the Legendaries without worrying about the regions."

"I agree," Ryan said. "Regions first, Legendaries last."

"So, is that the plan?" Mark asked.

"Yeah!" the other Snaggers cried.

"Well then, you better hurry and defeat Celadon's Cipher Gym Leader." Prof. Oak suggested. "You'll be having a bit more help soon enough. And from a sixth place Kanto League Champion, no less!"

"Really?! That sounds incredible!" Ookami cried, smiling. "I can't wait to meet them."

"Neither can I!" Zack agreed, grinning.

"If that's all you have to tell us, I'll hang up and get back to bed now." Mark told Prof. Oak.

"Alright then, go ahead! I need to get to sleep, too." Oak replied. "Tracy, quit running around and screaming! It isn't the end of the world yet!"

"But Prof. Oak, the whole world's in danger! How can you be so calm?" Tracy's voice came through on the videophone, though he was off-screen at the moment.

"That's easy." Oak answered, sipping from his coffee cup. "Paperwork and lots of coffee."

"Uh, sir, the videophone's still on." Tracy said.

Spitting out his mouthful off coffee, he cried, "What?!" The old man twirled around and punched some buttons, severing the connection. The videophone screen went black.

The Snaggers stood in silence for a few moments until Roen spoke up. "That was odd."

"I agree." Will said.

"Well, I'm going back to bed. Anyone else coming?" Mark called, going downstairs. Most of the group followed and returned to their sleeping bags. "Night, guys." As he fell asleep, the Shadow Gengar that constantly monitors the Snaggers leaped away into the night to inform its master of the new Snaggers. He sure wasn't going to be happy to hear about ten.

_On the island that houses Cipher, Molt and Freeze's room..._

"Man, that was tough." Molt groaned, collapsing on his bed. "I never want to see another mop as long as I live."

The Trickster Twins' room was a bit bigger than a normal Cipher Peon's room, but still smaller and cramped compared to the Gym Leaders' rooms. It had two separate beds, a small bathroom, and a closet. Being Special Cipher Peons meant that they could have a roommate, allowing the twins to have the same room.

"Same here," Freeze agreed, flopping facedown in his pillow. "Downloading all that data was bad, too."

"Why did we join Cipher anyway? I hate it here and everyone is mean to us." Molt complained.

Freeze sat up, glaring at his redhead twin. "Did you forget already?! We joined Cipher so we could find _her_!" His thoughts focused on a blonde girl with a mischievous smirk constantly on her face.

"Oh, I remember Electra. She—" Tears appeared in the redhead's eyes.

"Betrayed us, yes." Freeze finished. "All those years ago when we were the Elementals."

"Oh yeah, I miss being in the Elementals. Back then, we were not failures. We were good at what we did and we were family." Molt reflected, wiping the tears away.

"Yeah, we were thieves. All of us were outcasts but we came together and became a family." Freeze muttered. "We called ourselves the Elementals because all of us were great at using particular kinds of Pokemon. From our names, it was obvious what Pokemon we were greatest with. I was the master at using Ice-type Pokemon and you with Fire-type. Lily was our Grass-type expert, Gray was Ground-type, Terry was our Water-type guy, and then there was our leader: Dartz, master of Dark-types."

"Hmm, I thought there was one more of us." Molt pointed out.

"There was Electra, the one who betrayed us." Freeze growled, clenching his fists. "It's because of her that all of them are dead, including my Glaceon and your Flareon."

Molt started crying again. "I miss my Flarey! She was so beautiful. How could Electra do that to us? She was our friend! We trusted her!"

"That is why we are here, Molt." Freeze said, reaching over and patting his twin on the back. "We need to find her and get revenge. And we can only do that if we are in Cipher."

"But how can we find her?" Molt asked. "Besides, even if we do find her, how can we get revenge? Our Pokemon battling skills suck. You heard what Mimzy said."

"That's due to the fact that boss did not give us Shadow Pokemon that were more suited for our battle skills." Freeze countered. "I have been asking him if he could take our old ones and give us ones that were more suited to us, but he got mad and said no. But..." Freeze pulled out a Poke Ball.

Molt's eyes widened in fear. "No, bro. You didn't tell me... You did not—"

"Steal one?" Freeze questioned. "Why yes I did."

"The boss will surely kill you if he finds out you stole one." Molt whined. "What is it, though?"

"A male Glaceon, just like my old one." Freeze answered. "None of the other agents are able to handle it but I can. With this Shadow Pokemon in my arsenal, I will truly be like I was back then."

"What about me, though?"

"Sorry Molt, I tried searching for a Flareon, I truly did." Freeze explained. "But to take this one was risky enough. To try and take another would have surely got me caught. Don't worry, Molt, I have been planning things for a long time. We will have our vengeance soon. I intend to find Electra by asking Poindexter."

"But that guy is shifty!" Molt complained. "Even the gym leaders are unnerved by him."

"I said don't worry. Leave it all to me, Molt." Freeze reassured. "I am the smart one, after all. We will gain respect and finally get the information we have been searching for."

Unaware to the twins, Prof. Pine was silently listening in on them. _So, Glaceon was taken by these two. I should have guessed that Freeze would take it. Maybe I should warn Poindexter of them._ Quietly, the violet-haired scientist walked away.

_Celadon City..._

"Wake up, Mark!" KC called. "Luffy made waffles for breakfast and they're the best ever! Get up!"

Groaning, Mark sat up and kicked away his sleeping bag. _Darn, my back hurts from sleeping on the floor now,_ he thought, trudging toward the kitchen. Sitting down at the table, he smiled upon seeing that his rival was late. Will finally dragged himself in, being dead last for breakfast. "So, you finally decided to wake up?" Mark taunted.

"Shut the heck—" Will paused to yawn. "Shut the heck up, Mark!"

"Guys, it's too early to be fighting already." Zack pointed out.

"Yeah, save that for the Cipher goons and that Gym Leader." Luffy laughed, placing two waffles on Will's plate. "Well, eat up! I hope you enjoy it, everybody!"

As everyone dug in, Ookami's PokeNav started buzzing. Lifting it up and flipping it open, she clicked on her messages and smiled upon seeing a familiar face. "Ookami, are you up yet? You're always sleeping in late these days! Why haven't you called me in so long?" a young voice chirped.

"Who is it, Ookami?" Roen asked, peering over her shoulder.

"My cousin, Nezumi. She lives in Mauville, Hoenn." Ookami explained. "She's the daughter of the brother of my father and Risu's father, making her my cousin."

"How old is she?" Alex asked.

"Three years younger than me." Seeing the group's confusion, she answered, "Twelve years old."

"Sorry!" Luffy chuckled. "So you're 15, right?"

"Yep!" Ookami replied.

"Hey! Quit ignoring me!" Nezumi cried from the other end of the PokeNav.

"Sorry, Nezumi. I happen to have guests over right now."

"What kind of guests? And is your boyfriend still there?"

Both Roen and Ookami blushed. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend!" Roen barked. "We're just friends!"

"But you're a boy and you're Ookami's friend, making you her boyfriend." Nezumi shot back, laughing.

The group surrounded Ookami in order to better see the little girl. Nezumi had long blue hair and bright brown eyes, a grin on her face. She was wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, and a blue raindrop pendant around her neck. A large Pikachu was perched on her shoulder, looking warily at Nezumi's PokeNav.

Alex noticed Nezumi's pendant and looked back at Ookami, seeing her flower pendant. "Ookami, do you all have pendants?" she asked.

"What? Oh, yes. We all do, Alex." The brunette girl said, fingers brushing against her pendant. "Risu, Tori, Nezumi, and I all received these from our fathers. Rumor has it that Pokemon trainers from ancient times wore these to hone their abilities over a certain Pokemon type, like Flying-types or Fire-types."

"Amazing," Ryan muttered.

"Anyways, I'm really sorry, Nezumi." Ookami apologized. "I haven't called lately because I was down in the Rock Tunnel, giving swimming and diving lessons to people. I hope you forgive me."

"Of course I do, silly!" Nezumi chirped, waving a hand. "Isn't that right, Denka?"

"Pika pi!" the large Pikachu cried, nodding.

"I have to go now but I'll call later." Nezumi promised. "I have to go wake up Squirrelly now. Bye!" She hung up, making the screen go black with the words 'Call Ended' shown in white letters.

"Squirrelly? Who's that?" Mark asked.

"My cousin, Risu. That's her nickname for him but he hates it." Ookami replied, finishing her waffles.

"That Pikachu was so cute!" Alex commented. "But not as cute as Sparks!" She reached over and scratched the Pikachu's head, waking the sleepy electric mouse up from his spot on Mark's lap. "Ookami, I have a question. Why was that Pikachu so much bigger than Sparks?"

"Denka? Oh, that's easy." Ookami giggled. "Nezumi spoils him horribly. She cuddles him, gives him chocolate and candy, and doesn't battle with him all that often. Basically, he's just a fat and lazy Pikachu. But he can put up a valiant fight if Nezumi is in danger."

"Oh, okay!" Alex said, smiling at Sparks. "Sparks just looked so small compared to... Denka?"

"Yep, you got his name right. He belonged to Nezumi's dad, being his beginning Pokemon. Denka always watches over Nezumi and makes sure she doesn't get into trouble while her parents are away. That was up until..." Ookami fell silent.

"What is it, Ookami?" KC asked. "Did something bad happen to them?"

Roen nodded. "If you don't want to, I'll—"

"No, this is something I should tell them. It concerns my family, after all." Ookami cut in. She looked up sadly at the Snaggers. "The Ryuuyuki family is known by another name, the Disaster family. Bad things always happen to the parents, leaving the children all alone at young ages. Most people who try to raise abandoned Ryuuyuki children have died tragically, so most avoid us as much as possible. Basically, we're the Absol's of the human world."

"That's terrible." Zack muttered. "No wonder my folks said no to letting you live with us."

"Only the Gym Leaders in the area of Ryuuyuki children seem to have survived raising us." Ookami continued. "Many say that the Game Corners, since they house Team Rocket, have an effect on the death rate of caretakers of Ryuuyuki children. Cities with Game Corners are always the safest place to be if you're raising one from our family."

"So, Team Rocket pretty much insures no more deaths?" Will asked.

"No one really knows but that's what everyone thinks. I've seen my fair share of Team Rocket goons around this house." Ookami explained. "I think that Team Rocket is only scarcely involved because most of the deaths have been blamed on them. The deaths have usually happened near a Team Rocket base, prompting everyone to believe that Team Rocket has a grudge against us Ryuuyuki's. But it was later proven false by Officer Jenny when no footprints other than the victims' were ever found at the crime scenes."

"So Team Rockets only keeping an eye on you guys just to save their own skins." Mark grumbled. "How selfish are those guys?"

"Apparently very selfish," Roen answered.

"There are only four Ryuuyuki's left in this world at the moment: my cousins and I. All of our parents have died tragic deaths. My father died during a dive in the Rock Tunnel, my mother died of a disease, Nezumi's parents vanished in a storm while looking for wounded Pokemon, Tori's parents died from suffocation in a cave-in, and Risu's dad died in a rockslide and his mom is currently very sick. She's predicted to die within the next year or two."

"Man, you guys really are disaster kids." Luffy mumbled. "So you guys were left homeless ever since your parents died?"

"No, we've remained in our parents' houses. The local Gym Leaders take care of us, that being the reason that Erika was here while I was gone." Ookami said.

"Ookami, what about that odd thing at the police found at Risu's father's death?" Roen asked.

"Oh yes, about that. Footprints were found that the scene of his crime but they didn't match anyone at Team Rocket. The case was dubbed unsolvable because the culprit was still on the loose. Not long afterward, a young girl was murdered and the footprints on that crime scene matched the ones at Risu's father's crime scene."

_Anna!_ Mark thought. _Could Cipher have triggered that rockslide? But what would they want with the Ryuuyuki family? This doesn't make any sense._

KC sighed and stood up. "Well, are we gonna go looking for some Cipher goons or what? I'm ready to beat that Gym Leader and find that Kanto Champion person. I wonder who they are."

"I agree but there's a problem." Ryan pointed out.

"And what would that be?" Alex asked.

"Too many Snaggers," he answered.

"Ryan's right, guys. There's too many of us to all go to the gym at the same time." Mark agreed. "Three or four of us should head to the gym while the rest scour the city for Cipher goons. Luffy, would you and KC like to help look for goons?"

"Sure, Mark." Luffy agreed. "If we come across any Shadow Pokemon, we'll show these guys what to do." He pointed toward Zack, Will, Ookami, Ryan, and Roen. "That'll leave you, Alex, and Erika to fight that Gym Leader."

"Fine by me, Mark." Roen said. "Are the rest of you guys in?"

"I want to help fight a Gym Leader though!" Will cried. "I don't want to deal with goons, I want real action! I'm going with Mark!"

"Me too!" Zack added.

"No way!" Alex snapped. "I don't mind Will coming but not you, Zack!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's way too dangerous, Zack." Roen butted in. "Why don't you stay here with the five of us and help get rid of those goons. Aren't they the ones you've always been targeting?"

"Yeah, but... fine. I'll go with you guys." Zack finally agreed.

"So it's settled. Alex, Will, Erika, and I will head for the gym while the five of you take down the goons and take their Shadow Pokemon from them." Pulling out his PDA, Mark smirked. "There are five Shadow Pokemon in this city, one of each of you. Luffy, KC, show them what to do when you find one."

"You got it, Mark!" KC cried. "Alex, be careful!"

"I can take care of myself, KC!" Alex shouted. _But thanks for saying it anyway... Wait, I did _not_ just think that! Oh god, what's happening to me?_

As the group split up, one headed for the Pokemon Center while the other went looking around the city for goons, nobody noticed the blonde swordsman perched on top of the Celadon Department Store. Dart watched the nine Snaggers carefully, growing more and more angry at them. _They're just like rabbits! They multiply like crazy! Geez, why won't the boss just let me jump down there and kill some of them?!_

"It's not in our orders to kill the Snaggers, Dart." Whirling around, the blonde relaxed upon seeing Florence standing behind him. The green-haired Cipher Gym Leader stared at him, left eye twitching. "We're supposed to be down in the gym right now."

"I'm probably not even needed, Florence." Dart growled. "They split up. One's fetching Erika and headed for the gym while the other's searching the city for goons. You don't need my help."

"And if I lose?"

"Then I leave. With your pathetic Pokemon, you'll definitely lose this fight." Dart smirked. "I might as well leave right now if it didn't go against the boss' orders."

"Too bad it does, Dart." Florence replied, brushing some of her wavy sea green hair out of her face. "You still moping over your own loss or is it that other thing."

"SHUT UP ABOUT THAT!!" Dart roared, punching the railing so hard that it dented slightly. Blood ran down from his knuckle but the swordsman ignored it. Drawing his sword, he turned and pointed it at her throat. "Don't ever mention that again! Or I'll make sure that you can't mention anything else at all!"

"Oh, touchy on the subject still?" Florence asked, gently pushing the blade away. "You best put that away before this becomes part of my report, too. Then your reputation will go even lower than it is now. Attacking a woman, aren't you above that yet?"

"Yeah, but you're too annoying and never shut up." Dart snarled, putting his sword away.

"That's your problem to deal with, not mine." Florence said, turning around. "I'm going back to my gym. Can you make sure the Snaggers wandering the city don't try to interfere in my fight?"

"Hmph! Fine, whatever. I've got nothing better to do at the moment, anyway." Dart grumbled. "Just try to win, okay?"

"I can't make any promises on that, Dart." Florence pointed out. "Like you said, I'll probably lose anyway. Don't get your hopes up too high."

"I won't, I won't. You can count on that."

"Toodles!" With that, she teleported back to the gym to await the main Snaggers.

Dart grunted and leaned his back against the dented rail. His knuckle hurt and was still bleeding but he couldn't have cared less. His mind was on other things, like the Snaggers and Florence's imminent defeat. But faint flickers of a young girl kept going through his mind: a smile, a soft laugh, the wave a hand. A pair of brown eyes kept looking at him happily before fading away. Dart rested a hand on his forehead.

"Stop it." He muttered. "Stop haunting me."

_On the island that houses Cipher, Poindexter's room..._

"So, we code this and put it on... here?" Mist asked.

"No! We code this and put it on HERE!" Poindexter barked, pointing to a disk labeled 'Cipher Data Codes, Disk 5' and dropped it in the white-haired Gym Leader's lap. "Don't forget that _you_ have to deliver these once you make your escape."

"I know." Mist muttered. _I'll make Cipher sorry for ever hurting Anna and lying to me. They'll pay dearly for this._ "Now, what do I do next?"

"You download these files, XC-QD, onto Disk 6." Poindexter explained.

"Uh, English please?"

"Ugh, just download the highlighted folders onto this disk." The hacker groaned.

"Thank you."

As Mist started downloading, the door to Poindexter's room slammed open. "Hey, Poindexter! I have some things I have to ask you about!"

"Oh, god, not them." The hacker muttered, turning around so his two visitors couldn't see the screen. "What do you want?"

"We have some questions to ask you." The redhead of the duo asked. "Could you please answer them for us?"

The blue-haired boy hit his twin on the head. "Idiot, we don't have to be nice to him!"

"Sorry, bro!"

Mist growled and stood up, instantly making the twins back off. "What would you two insignificant Trickster Twins want with a shifty hacker such as Poindexter?" he asked. "If I were you, I would leave here before I get angry. You just interrupted a delicate process of data checking, you little brats."

"Sorry!" Molt whimpered.

"That's not what I heard you were doing." Freeze replied boldly. "From what I just overheard, you're downloading restricted Cipher plan files onto disks and planning on escaping with them."

Poindexter gulped, still hiding the computer screen from view. Mist's eyes narrowed. "Then I believe you heard wrong. It is a data check. We were checking through files on Cipher Peons and reading them off. That just so happened to be on one of their reports." He lied, praying that they'd believe him.

Freeze smirked. "Oh really?" Dodging past the psychic and shoving Poindexter out of the way, he grinned at what he saw on the computer screen. "See?! It's not a data check, you _are_ stealing Cipher plan files! And you're planning on leaving Cipher with them, aren't you?"

A blue glow surrounded Freeze and the next thing he knew, he was being flung into a nearby wall. Once he crashed to the ground, Molt raced over to him. "Bro! Bro! Are you okay?" the redhead cried.

Freeze sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth. His back was hurting like heck and he felt like he had a concussion. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He muttered. "What was that for? Did I get it right?"

A hand wrapped around his throat and Freeze was hauled into the air. "If you tell anybody, I'll make your life living torture. Got it?" Mist hissed.

"I'll only keep my trap shut in exchange for something." Freeze gasped.

"Bro, stop it! Finding out where she is isn't worth dying over!" Molt whined. "We'll leave and we won't tell anyone!"

"Molt, shut up!" Freeze shouted. "In exchange for keeping your escape a secret, the hacker has to help us find someone. A girl named Electra betrayed us before we joined Cipher and I want Poindexter to find her for us."

"Do you really think we would do that for a brat like you?" Mist asked.

"Well..." Freeze tried to think but he was getting dizzy.

"Mist, that's enough!" Poindexter said. "I'll handle it from here. Can you guys give me her description?"

"Blonde hair, loves Electric-type Pokemon, betrayed the group called the Elementals." Molt answered.

"Wait a second." Mist gasped, dropping Freeze. "That description sounds all too familiar, Poindexter."

"I know, I know." The brunette hacker agreed, shaking his head.

"Wait, you guys know her? Where is she?!" Freeze cried.

"We need to beat her up for betraying us!" Molt added.

"You guys will need to get way stronger in order to beat her now." Poindexter explained. "She has the position of a Cipher Gym Leader and was nominated for a spot in the Cipher Elite Four, but lost. If what Rosalean told me is correct, you guys have already met her."

"You mean that we've already met her? Here in Cipher?!" Molt asked.

"You're lying! We would've recognized her right away!" Freeze disagreed.

"She's changed herself quite a lot since she left your Elementals group. She actually had to destroy your little group in order to gain her Cipher Gym Leader title. But just to make sure, I have something to ask about this 'Electra' person. Was she ever in an insane asylum before joining you?" Poindexter asked.

"Well, I dunno." Molt admitted.

"Well, I think I know." Freeze said. "I heard Dartz talking about how dangerous it was breaking her out of an insane asylum. I thought I was hearing things. When she first joined us, all she would say was 'stupid' to everyone and everything."

Mist and Poindexter looked at each other and nodded. "It has to be her." Mist replied. "Have you met a woman named Mimzy in the halls at one point?"

"Well, yeah. We met her and Rosalean when we were headed to the boss' chambers for our punishments." Molt chirped. "Why?"

"What does Mimzy have to do with Electra?" Freeze asked. Then it hit him. "What?! That's her! Mimzy was Electra! I can't believe I never made the connection!"

"She even said some of the same things as Electra used to!" Molt cried.

"She really did change." Freeze grumbled.

"Alright, we gave you what information you wanted. Now you better keep quiet about ours." Mist spat. "Understood?"

The twins looked at one another sadly before nodding. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Now get out." Mist growled. "We have work to do."

The twins walked out and headed for their own room, looking upset. "I can't believe it, Molt." Freeze muttered. "She was here all along. We even talked to her and didn't recognize her. And she had to kill our friends just to get into Cipher."

"I know." Molt agreed. "It's just not... fair."

_Celadon City Gym..._

Mark, Will, Alex, and Erika entered through the double doors of the gym. The perfume shop had remained untouched, making Erika relax slightly. The former Gym Leader's Gloom stumbled alongside her, leaving a slight stink in the air. Mark and Alex ignored the urge to cover their noses for fear of insulting Erika but Will could've cared less. Once inside of the gym, they noticed three people on the opposite end of the arena.

One was Florence, who Erika pointed out immediately as the stealer of her gym. The other two were Cipher Peons. One was a 21 year old man with short brown hair and brown eyes hidden by glasses. He wore a black button-up shirt, gray pants, and black loafers. A Shadow Combusken stood by his side, its arms crossed over its chest.

The other was a familiar face. It was Samson from Pewter City! The 28 year old blue-eyed brunette looked up and frowned at them. "You two brats again?" he groaned. "I had hoped you'd be dead before facing me again. Oh well, some wishes never come true." A Shadow Dustox was flapping around his head while a Shadow Kricketune was standing by his feet.

"About time you finally got here!" Florence cried. "I'm finally going to get a battle that's really worth my time. Samson, Ty, show them a battle they'll never forget!"

"Yes, miss," the duo said.

Mark looked at the Shadow Pokemon, using his PDA to find out their levels and attacks. The Combusken had red feathers instead of orange on its lower body and head feathers, while its yellow feathers had turned pale gray. Glow red eyes and sharp claws made it look more intimidating that usual.

The Dustox had dark gray wings with black edges. Its body was a darker shade of purple and the antennae were red instead of yellow. Glowing red eyes flashed each time it flapped its wings, spreading a toxic red dust with each violent flap.

And the Kricketune looked very much like a normal Kricketune except with glowing red eyes. The yellow stripes going from its neck to the black spot on its stomach had turned purple, along with the yellow patch on its lower body. Its knife-like arms had sharpened to a glittering point, making them hazardous weapons.

"Erika, we'll deal with this one." Mark said. "Save your Gloom's powers for when we fight Florence. Guys, ready?"

"Ready!" Alex chirped. "Go, Sneasel!"

"Elekid, get in there!" Will ordered.

"Shadow Shinx, get ready to fight!" Mark cried.

Dustox flew towards them and started to flap its wings violently, spreading its toxic dust into the air. Sneasel, Shinx, and Elekid started sneezing while Kricketune simply tilted its head as its skin shed. Ty held a handkerchief over Combusken's beak, preventing it from breathing in the poison. Florence laughed as the Snaggers covered their mouths, coughing from the poisonous dust.

"You Snaggers are so stupid!" the green-haired Cipher Gym Leader laughed. "That dust has enough toxins in it to make a fully grown Aggron collapse. You kids don't stand a chance!"

"Don't underestimate me," Will coughed. "Elekid, use Thunderbolt!"

"Ele… KID!!" Electricity exploded from its striped body, electrocuting the moth-like Pokemon. After it collapsed on the ground, the dust floated to the ground and became useless. Elekid pumped its arms into the air in victory while Samson looked shocked.

Mark tossed a Snag Ball, capturing the Dustox. "One down, two to go." The green-haired Snagger said. "Get ready to fight us, Florence, because we're coming to get you!"

"Yeah right!" Florence snarled.

"Combusken, use Shadow Fire!" Ty yelled.

The Fire/Fighting-type released a blast of fire. Sneasel leaped over it and raced forward, unleashing an Ice Beam. Combusken opened its mouth to release another Shadow Fire, only to get shocked by Shinx sing Shadow Thunderbolt. Combusken was frozen solid, only to free itself moments later by a blast of fire. Elekid and Shinx shocked it again, making Combusken cash to the ground. It struggled to its feet, batting away a Snag Ball.

"Geez, that guy doesn't know the meaning of 'give up'." Alex muttered. "Sneasel, freeze it one more time!"

Another blast of ice and Combusken collapsed, surrendering to Mark's Snag Ball. "Two down, one to go. Are you as confident now, Florence?" Mark asked.

"As confident as ever," Florence hissed, "Ty, leave!"

"Yes, miss," Ty said, getting up. The brunette vanished outside of the door, teleporting back to base. Samson gulped. _I'll never end up like that. I'll win, no matter what!_ Samson grinned at those thoughts.

"Samson, you better win this." Florence barked.

"Will do, miss." Samson promised. "Kricketune, be careful of those Electric-type Pokemon!"

"Kricke kricke!" the Bug-type hummed, crossing its knife-like arms.

"Shinx, use Shadow Thunderbolt!" Mark ordered.

Shinx unleashed the shadowy electric attack, aiming directly at Kricketune. Kricketune continued humming, ignoring the attack. Samson started shouting at it to move but was ignored. The attack hit it, throwing it backwards. Samson growled angrily as Mark captured the still humming Kricketune. Then he heard a growling behind him.

"Samson, you failed me too!" Florence screamed. "Get out and never let me see your face again!"

"Sorry!" the 27-year-old cried, running out the doors.

"Stupid Samson. Men are all the same: stupid, lying, cruel scum." Florence grumbled. "Maybe men should learn that we women despise lying men."

"She's scary," Will muttered.

"I agree," Mark said, nodding.

"Hey, we won! Get ready to fight already!" Alex shouted. "We're taking Erika's gym back!"

"I highly doubt that, little girl." Florence replied. "This gym belongs to me now. Be prepared for a brutal fight, children."

"We're not children," Will growled. "Maybe we are compared to an old lady like you!"

"What did you just say?!" Florence roared. "Now you die! Shadow Sceptile, show these children true power! Go!"

The abnormally large Grass-type appeared, screeching. "Sceeeeeep!" it screeched, thrashing its tail and waving its arms. Glowing red eyes glared at the Snaggers and it stomped forward a few steps. Then it roared at them, making the gym walls shake and windows crack.

"Holy!" Will yelled. "We have to fight that thing?! It's the biggest Sceptile I've ever seen!"

"I know, I know! Quit yelling!" Mark shouted. "You wanted in on this fight, so here you go!"

"That's the Pokemon that defeated my Gloom and stole my gym." Erika said, bitterness in her voice. "Mark, are you sure we can beat it?"

"Definitely!" Alex cried.

"Will, do you have that Skorupi?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, and it's close to evolving." Will replied. "Why?"

"I've got a plan and Skorupi plays a big part in it. Even if it evolves, that'll just up our chances of this plan being a success." Mark explained. "This is what we're going to do. First, we'll…" The four huddled together, discussing the plan.

Florence frowned and glared at the Snaggers. "What's taking them so long?" she complained. "I thought they were here to battle, not talk."

When the group finally broke, Will returned his Elekid and threw out his Gible. Florence and Sceptile shared a nod and smiled. "Let's do this!" Will shouted. "Gible, use Sandstorm!"

"Sceptile, use Shadow Razor Leaf." Florence commanded.

Sand and leaves started whipping through the air, hurting everybody. The leaves sliced and cut while the sand burned as it flew through the air. The gym had turned into a giant storm. Pokemon and human both were injured by the combined storms.

"Will, you idiot! You just made this worse!" Alex screamed, covered her face with her arms.

"Mark, this is your fault!" Will countered. "You told me to do this! Who knew she would counter with a storm of her own?"

"Apparently, Florence did." Erika replied, her kimono sleeves whipping every which way.

"But how? How did she know?" Mark cried.

"Maybe she didn't even know!" Alex suggested. "But she sure turned the tide against us! What do we do now?"

"Will, throw out Skorupi and return Gible on my command!" Mark yelled.

"Got it! Skorupi, get out here!" Will ordered. "Now what?"

Return Gible when I say so! Start having Skorupi shoot poison everywhere!" Mark said.

"Why? It would hit us, too!" Will demanded.

"That's when Alex comes in! Alex, have Sneasel use Avalanche to drop a mountain of snow on top of us!" Mark ordered. "Then have Sneasel use Ice Beam to make an ice dome around us! But leave a hole so that Skorupi can shoot poison out at the storm!"

"Deal! Sneasel, use Avalanche on us!" Sneasel gave his trainer a look that said 'Are you crazy?' before summoning the snow to crash down on top of them. "Everyone, dig until we have some space!"

After making the inside hollow, Sneasel froze it to make an ice dome. Mark and Will both started kicking through the thick ice until the made a hole big enough for Skorupi to perch in and release the poison. After placing the Poison-type there, it started shooting out poison attacks. After a few minutes, Will returned Gible and ended the sandstorm. The poison-coated leaves still shot around in the Shadow Razor Leaf.

On the other end of the gym, a large barrier of thick vines surrounded Florence to protect her from both storms. Her Sceptile stood outside the barrier of vines, enduring the storms. The sea green-haired woman smiled, hearing the sandstorm end. "They must have given up." She muttered. Then she felt a chill go through the air. "I thought I turned the air conditioning off…?" Then she heard a hissing noise. "What's that?" Small holes started appearing in the vines and a purple liquid dripped in. When it hit the ground, it hissed. "Poison?! Sceptile, stop the Shadow Razor Leaf!"

The leaves fluttered to the ground and the vine barrier fell apart. Florence stared in shock at the ice dome that stood before her. Suddenly, it shattered! The three Snaggers and Erika stepped out, wearing smiles of victory. Poison-soaked sand and poison-covered leaves littered the floor of the gym. Sceptile was barely standing, covered in cuts and burns. Poison oozed from some of the cuts.

"How?!" Florence demanded. "How did you turn my attack against me?!"

"Think about it, stupid!" Alex yelled, sticking her tongue out.

"Now it's my turn." Erika muttered. "Gloom, use Sleep Powder!"

Gloom walked up to the poisoned Grass-type and blew white powder at it. Backing away, Gloom watched happily as Sceptile teetered and then collapsed. Sceptile started snoring, signaling that it was asleep and poisoned. Florence just growled and grabbed her Pokemon's Poke Ball, intent on returning it.

Mark smirked. "Oh no you don't!" He tossed a Snag Ball.

Florence tossed her Poke Ball, recapturing her Sceptile. Then she threw out a turtle-like Pokemon with a twig growing out of its head. "Shadow Turtwig, use Shadow Knot to tangle those brats up!" she ordered.

The gym floor cracked and grass came through, catching and tangling the Snaggers' legs up. Sneasel, Shinx, Skorupi, and Gloom were tied up by the thick grass. Florence laughed as her Turtwig tightened the grass. Then a hissing noise filled the air again. "What's that?" the Cipher Gym Leader asked.

"Great job, Skorupi!" Will cheered.

The scorpion-like Pokemon was dripping poison onto the grass, melting it away. The grass shriveled up and melted as Skorupi freed itself. Then it went along to free its fellow Pokemon and the Snaggers. Will kept cheering it on until they were all free.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Florence cried. "Why is that little Pokemon such a nuisance?!"

"'Cause I trained him to be that way." Will answered. "He does have a mischievous nature, by the way."

Suddenly, Skorupi started glowing! It turned bright purple and got bigger. It had a longer body and arms ending in two pincers. It was evolving into Drapion! Once the evolution ended, the giant Poison-type stood there and roared. "Draaaaaaa!!"

"Awesome!" Will said in awe. "I though he'd never evolve."

"Oh, great!" Florence shouted. "The little nuisance just became a giant nuisance!"

Turtwig whimpered, backing away. With a single swing of its pincer, Drapion sent the Grass-type flying across the gym and crashing into a wall. As it slid down to fall to the ground, cracks were left on the wall as well as a bit of blood. Drapion advanced forward, intent on finishing what it started.

"Mark, do something!" Alex cried. "Before Drapion really does kill it!"

"Will, keep your Pokemon under control!" Mark yelled, throwing a Snag Ball. Drapion looked confused once its prey vanished. "Will, do something!"

"Drapion, uh… I order you to stop that!" Will commanded. Drapion roared at him. "No, you stop that right now! I am your trainer and you have to listen to me!"

"I give up! I give up!" Florence wailed. "Just make it go away!"

"Ugh! Will, just return it." Mark suggested. "It obviously isn't going to listen to you."

Will sighed and nodded. Recapturing his newly evolved Pokemon, he looked at the floor with guilt. _I thought he'd listen to me once he evolved. I guess Drapion is too much for me to handle right now. But I promise, I'll get your respect one day, Drapion. I promise!_

"Looks like we win," Alex said, pointing to the cowering Florence. "Let's collect our gym badge, gather our friends, and get out of here!"

"I agree, Alex." Erika replied. "Thank you all for helping me get my gym back."

"No problem!" Mark chuckled. Then he went over to Florence. "We won. Hand over the badge and get out of Celadon."

"Gladly!" Florence barked, dropping a black and red leaf-shaped badge in Mark's palm. "There! Take that Crimson Badge and get going to Saffron. I'll get out of here." As she headed out the door, she stopped and said, "I hope your friend realizes that Drapion aren't the easiest Pokemon in the world to tame."

"Yeah… I know." Will muttered. "But I'll get him to respect me as his trainer, no matter what!"

"Hehehe, you have heart, kid." Florence complimented. "Not many kids I meet have that much heart for their Pokemon."

She was almost out of the door when a small black box fell out of her pocket. It had a jagged red 'C' on it and had two buttons on the front. It looked like a handheld radio except it didn't have the antenna on top to capture a signal. "Hey, you dropped this!" Will called.

"Keep it!" Florence answered. "I don't need it anymore. You can ask that Shadow Master about it. It might come in handy one day for you kids." She pulled out an identical black box and teleported away.

"It's a teleportation thing!" Alex cried. "We can get into a Cipher base with it!"

"I think we should keep this a secret for now, Alex." Mark suggested. "We don't know where this could take us. I'll send a message to Shadow Master and find out where it goes."

As the trio left the Celadon Gym, Erik thanked them once more. Now Mark, Alex, and Will had a new mission: locate their missing companions wandering the city! The sun was slowly setting and the stars were appearing, twinkling in the darkening sky.

_Shamouti Island, Lightning Island…_

Zapdos sat perched at the mouth of its nest, staring out at the stormy ocean. Lightning ran across the sky and thunder shattered the once peaceful silence of Shamouti. Its fellow Legendary birds were gone, kidnapped by people in black uniforms. They were unfamiliar to it, the only thing stuck in its mind was a jagged red 'C'. Zapdos was the only one left to rule the three islands.

A strange noise echoed through the screaming winds, a sound like something cutting through the air quickly. It sounded just like the black strips attached to the machines that captured its two fellow birds. Lugia was lurking below the surface, probably hearing the odd noise.

Then they appeared. The machines had returned. Fleeing deep inside the cave leading to its nest, Zapdos' feathers crackled with electricity. It would not be fooled into leaving its nest like its fellow birds were only the previous night. No, it would stay here and fight. Zapdos would never leave this place. Never! Those pathetic human wouldn't make it.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the entrance of its nest. A strange black and blue rope wound around it, binding its wings to its sides. Zapdos screeched and released its pent-up electricity. The energy ran up the rope and loud yells were heard. That would teach them that it wouldn't be taken down easily. Why would it?

Another loud bang and another rope wrapped around it. A loud clang and the ropes started dragging it out of its nest. Releasing another loud cry, Zapdos unleashed the largest amount of electricity it could. The ropes snapped and the humans cried out. It fled from its nest, flying toward Fire Island. One of the machines followed it, only to be shot down by an unknown source. Zapdos entered Moltres' old nest, taking refuge there. After a while, the machines left.

But they would be back. They always came back. It wouldn't be able to hide for much longer on the islands. Maybe it could hide near the big building that hordes tons of electricity in the mainland. It wasn't much but it would remain safer there than here. With that made up, Zapdos took flight and headed for the mainland toward the electrical place. It just prayed that the men weren't there waiting for it.

_Shamouti Island Temple…_

"Good shot," the Elder complimented, patting the blue-robed boy's shoulder. "Your use over the Water Pokemon here is developing quickly."

"Of course, Elder." The boy replied. "We must do our best to protect Zapdos or the world will fall apart."

"Zapdos is headed for the mainland!" a yellow-robed boy called.

"Elder, now what do we do? We can't follow it now." A green-robed girl complained.

"Zapdos will be safer in the mainland, my dear students. As long as Pokemon of our elements are where it is heading, we will be able to continue protecting it." The Elder reassured, patting the girl's head. "For now, we must get more rest."

"Yes, Elder!" the students said.

**Next Chapter:** And Then There Were Ten

"Hey, big brother! Look how high I am!" KC called.

Luffy looked up, only to see his younger brother and Zack almost to the top of one of the giant rocks that littered the route. They were at least 150 feet in the air. "KC, Zack, get down from there!" he shouted.

"What are you shouting at?" Alex asked. The group followed Luffy's finger and saw the two Snaggers up on the rocks. "Hey, get down from there! You could fall and die!"

"No way!" KC replied.

"We'll be fine!" Zack added. "Just—" The rock under his foot gave way, making the blonde fall backward. "Watch?" Zack fell down the side of the rock. "AAAAAAAHH!!"

"Zack!" Will yelled.

"Oh man, oh man! I knew this was a bad idea." KC whimpered, sliding the rest of the way down.

Zack closed his eyes, not wanting to look down. Suddenly, his back hit something and he wasn't falling anymore. "Huh? I'm not dead?" Looking down at what he landed on, he saw brown feathers. "A Pokemon?!"

Once the giant Flying-type, identified as a Fearow, landed and deposited Zack, the blonde raced back to his friends. A teenage girl stepped out from behind the rock, frowning. "You guys are more pathetic than what I thought. Can't even save yourselves from a measly fall. I guess it was a good thing that I was here or we'd be down one Snagger." She said, flipping her black ponytail over her shoulder.

"Wait a second! I know you!" Ookami cried. "You're Leena!"

Leena smiled. "Bingo."

--

Sorry for the lateness! I'm in Fortworth, Texas and have very limited computer time here because of my grandpa's funeral. My uncle had no internet access so I had to wait until we visited my aunt again to upload this. I hope you all like it anyways.

Who is the one Dart is agonizing over? What will Freeze and Molt do now that they've discovered Mimzy's true identity (Sorry if I stole your idea for Electra's true identity, I just noticed that they both had blonde hair and loved Electric-type Pokemon. You can guess what happened from there)? What are Mist and Poindexter planning to do next? Who are the robed guys? And where is the Shadow Master when all of this is happening?

I guess you'll find out the answers to these questions in later chapters! I love doing Zapdos' POV on the Cipher situation, it was fun. Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter! Please review!


	25. Chapter 25: And Then There Were Ten

Hey everybody

Hey everybody! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. Yes, I know that Florence's battle was shorter than the other gym battles but I'm glad you liked it anyway. The Twins seem to be gaining popularity now, too. Cool! Sorry that this one came a bit later but I just got home and had to readjust to my newly rearranged room. I hope you enjoy it anyways! Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 25: And Then There Were Ten

Freeze and Molt returned to their room, remaining quiet the whole time. "I still can't believe that she was here that whole time! We spoke to her only hours ago. I should have noticed!" Freeze shouted, tugging at his hair with his hands. "Grrr!" Freeze punched the wall, plaster falling to the ground from the dent he had left behind.

"Bro, what can we do?" Molt asked. "I've seen how strong Mimzy is. How can we possibly beat her and get revenge?"

"The Snaggers," Freeze muttered. "They managed to beat her. We need to find out what they know of her battle styles."

"But bro!" the redhead protested. "If we go near the Snaggers, we could get in trouble, really big trouble!"

"I don't care anymore, Molt." Freeze explained, sitting on his bed. "I only wanted us to join Cipher so we could find Electra. Now that I know who she is, I no longer wish to play things safe. I am going to confront her right now. I must know why she betrayed us before we go and look for the Snaggers. I know Poindexter said it was just to become a Cipher Gym Leader but I don't believe that the times we spent together in the Elementals must have meant something to her."

_Electra raced ahead as the Elementals ran toward their hideout. Terry and Dartz were right behind her while Lily lagged behind to pick some violets. Gray kept trying to trip Molt and Freeze, but the duo dodged each attempt. They finally reached their base in the forest._

"_We're back but there's no one to greet us." Terry observed as the group sat down inside of the tree house deep within the Viridian Forest. The pale-blue-haired boy was wearing a button-up blue-striped shirt, jeans, and white tennis shoes with blue stripes. Dark blue eyes twinkled with a light of mischievousness._

"_As always, Terry." Dartz agreed. "We always stick together, you know that very well." His jet black hair was tied in a low ponytail and black eyes shone with leadership and kindness. He wore a long black trench coat, black jeans with rips along the bottoms, and black combat boots. Two black metal bracelets adorned both of his wrists, along with a handcuff with two chain links attached to it on his left wrist from his days in juvenile._

"_Yes, sir." Terry mumbled, hanging his head._

"_Awww! Quit being so mean to stupid Terry, boss!" Electra laughed._

"_I think being called stupid made him feel worse." Molt whispered to his twin._

"_I have to agree on that one." Freeze nodded._

"_I'll cook dinner!" Lily volunteered, skipping toward the makeshift kitchen. The green-haired girl had her hair pulled back into two pigtails near the back of her neck, each tipped with dark pink. Green eyes glittered with joy and happiness. She wore a long dark green dress with matching green slip-on shoes._

"_While dinner's cooking, who wants to play Go Fish?" Gray suggested, pulling the cards from his back pocket. The oldest of the Elementals, he had short gray hair cut army-style. His emotionless gray eyes reflected loyalty and protection. He wore army-patterned jeans, a white muscle shirt, and brown combat boots. A pair of dog tags was on a chain around his neck._

"_I do!" the twins cried. "This time we'll win, Electra!"_

"_I highly doubt that, stupid twins." The blonde said. "Hey boss, come play with us!"_

"_Oh, I guess I might as well." The leader agreed, sitting down._

"There has to be another reason!" Freeze cried. "The way she acted when we were in the Elementals, she seemed to care."

_Freeze and Molt stepped inside of the base, barely escaping the thunderstorm raging outside. "Geez, it's raining hard out there!" Molt complained._

"_There's probably gonna be hail, too." Freeze pointed out. "How's Terry?"_

"_He's fine," Gray replied. "Lily went to make some soup. It's that terrible out there?"_

"_Yeah, it is." The twins confirmed._

"_How can the stupid guy who has control over water in this stupid group get a stupid cold?!" Electra cried. She stomped down the stairs leading upstairs._

"_I have control over Water-type Pokemon, not the freakin' weather." Terry groaned, coughing._

"_I'm back!" Lily sang, setting the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the table by Terry's bed. "Drink it all up, Terry!"_

"_Will do, ma'am," The pale-blue-haired boy promised, sipping at the soup. Then he sneezed, spilling half of the soup in his lap with the other half was dripping down his face. Most of the group laughed, but Dartz instantly ordered for silence._

"_Electra, could you be a dear and get Terry some extra blankets?" the raven-haired leader asked. "The big fluffy ones, not the ragged thin ones."_

_Getting over her laughing, the blonde nodded. Returning with the blankets, she dropped them on Terry and pulled out the soaked ones. Then she tucked him in and dropped the bowl in the sink. "That feel better, stupid?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned._

"_Yeah, thanks." Terry muttered._

"That was why we trusted her! I cannot accept that she felt nothing for us at all." Freeze said, clenching his fists.

_Freeze, Molt, and Electra were sitting on top of an old car in the junkyard, resting up before moving on. "Molt, how are your Pokemon doing?" the blonde asked._

"_Pretty good but I'll never be able to beat you." The redhead replied. "After Dartz gives up leadership, you should be the next leader, Electra."_

"_I agree," Freeze nodded. "You're smart, pretty, and powerful. The perfect leader."_

"_Oh, you guys are too nice!" the blonde giggled. "But there's always going to be someone stronger than me. You two just have to keep training. Maybe one day, you guys can beat me."_

"_Yeah, I definitely will!" Freeze cried. "Just watch! One day I'll be so strong, nobody can beat me. Nobody!"_

"_Me too, bro!" Molt chirped._

"_Then keep training." Electra giggled. Then her voice became cold and serious. "But remember this: there's always someone out there who can beat you. No one is ever truly the strongest person in the world, not even god."_

"_Yes, ma-am!" the duo squeaked._

_Then her happy voice returned. "I wonder if you two could truly beat me."_

"_We will!"_

"But bro, she might not have recognized us." Molt pointed out. "If you tell her who we are, she might kill us like she did the others. Please don't do this! You're all I have left! Please don't leave me!" The redhead was crying now, remembering his friends' deaths.

_The base was destroyed, along with some of the forest. Everyone but Electra, Molt, and Freeze were dead. Molt was cradling his Flareon's body, begging for Flarey to wake up. Freeze just stared in shock at his former idol, unable to believe that she had done this. Electra just stared quietly, her clothes stained with blood. Her Jolteon stood beside her, electricity crackling from its body._

"_You guys truly are weak." She said. "I expected more resistance than this but they all died so easily. The two of you just aren't worth killing if you're that weak."_

"_Why did you do this? We trusted you!" Freeze yelled._

"_I thought I could get stronger through you guys and it worked. But I had to destroy you to get even stronger than that. Not even Dartz put up a good fight. Pathetic," Electra spat, turning around. "I'm leaving to do bigger and better things. Find me when you get stronger. Then maybe you'll be worth killing." She walked away._

_Freeze growled, nails digging into his palms. "I promise that one day, we'll get our revenge! I PROMISE!!" he roared._

_Electra smirked. "Whatever, stupid kid. Whatever,"_

Molt felt something hit the back of his neck, knocking him out. Freeze sighed, dropping his twin on the bed. "Sorry Molt, but I must do this." He muttered. "I don't intend to battle her but if I have no choice, I must. I have to know why she betrayed us."

He left the room. Taking out his two Poke Balls, he threw them and released Glaceon and Hitmontop. He looked at them both. "Glaceon, I know we have only just met but I need you to lend me your power. Your strength and prowess in battle make you incredibly strong. I know you do not trust anyone yet but I beg you. Please help me carry out what I must do." He looked hard into Glaceon's eyes for a long time. It then nodded to him, like it understood. "Thank you."

Freeze then turned to Hitmontop. "And you, Hitmontop, have been so loyal to me even though I am not suited to you. I have never seen a more loyal Pokemon. I would be grateful if you would help me again." The Fighting-type nodded to him, too.

"Okay then," Freeze said. "I am counting on you two. I just pray I do not have to use both of you. I hope she will answer me and not wish to battle, but that may not be the case this time." Together, the three of them headed for Mimzy's room.

_Celadon City, Celadon Mansion..._

Luffy, Roen, Ookami, Zack, Ryan, and KC split up to explore the streets of Celadon City. Mark had mentioned there being five Shadow Pokemon, meaning only five out of the six could capture them. Luffy volunteered to stand by and help them catch the Pokemon instead of catching one himself.

KC clutched his Pokemon Egg close to him as he and Ryan wandered around the Celadon Mansion. There was a Cipher goon located on the top floor and the duo was chosen to go there. They walked up the final flight of stairs and entered the room. Footprints were left behind in the dust covering the floor. Ryan sneezed and rubbed his glasses.

Just as Ryan took another step, KC reached out and stopped him. Pointing, the two Snaggers finally spotted the goon. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and looking down at the floor with boredom. He looked around 19 with spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a black leather jacket with tears on the shoulders, a white muscle shirt, black leather pants, and black boots. A red bandanna was tied around his left arm.

KC stepped out. "Hey, we're here to challenge you!" he yelled.

The goon looked up, startled. Then his face became serious. "So you're the famed Snagger, eh? Look pretty small to be a threat." He mocked, standing up straight. "Won't be much trouble to beat you up, eh? Thought so."

"KC, make this fast," Ryan muttered. "Zubat are known to hide in places like this."

"Awww, is the little geek afraid of a widdle bitty Zubat?" the goon teased. "I'll show you somethin' to be even more afraid of! Go, Gastly and Haunter!"

The Ghost-type Pokemon popped out, large eyes focused on the duo. Gastly stuck out its tongue while Haunter laughed eerily. Haunter's clawed hands flexed as it did flips through the air, laughing as it went. Gastly just floated close to its trainer, waiting for orders.

"Darn it!" KC hissed. "Neither of them are the Shadow Pokemon! And Ghost-types are the hardest to beat!"

"Physical attacks are useless," Ryan pointed out, pulling out Froslass' Poke Ball. "Use Special attacks to trap and defeat them,"

"Got it!" KC said. "Go, Pikachu!" He shoved the egg back into his backpack.

"Froslass," Ryan muttered. The Ghost/Ice-type floated beside him, glaring at the two Poison/Ghost-types. "Use Hail, Froslass."

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" KC cried.

Chunks of ice surrounded Froslass. With a wave of her arm, the hail was sent flying at her opponents. Pikachu's electricity coated the ice in sparks, creating an electrifying surprise for their opponents. Haunter hid itself behind its large hands while Gastly and the goon were force to fend for themselves. When the attack died down, the goon reluctantly returned his Pokemon and tossed out Zubat. It had a purple body with red wings.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" KC ordered. A single blast and the bat-like Pokemon was down. Ryan tossed the ball, capturing his first Shadow Pokemon. KC turned to the goon. "We won!"

The goon ran past them and burst out of the mansion. Ryan and KC stepped out moments later, the Pokemon Egg now nestled back in KC's arms. "That was easy," Ryan observed.

"Of course, Ryan," KC replied. "The goons are usually easy to beat. It's the Gym Leaders we have to be careful of."

"I agree," The duo headed for the gym, where Luffy was waiting for them.

_Celadon City, Scissor Street..._

Roen and Zack were wandering around together, looking for the Cipher goon. Roen had already defeated his goon, scoring a Shadow Bagon. It had a red body, glowing red eyes, pale purple stomach and lower jaw, and a dark gray head crest.

Roen finally spotted his goon. She had short light blue hair and ice blue eyes that seemed to glare at everything. She was wearing a black tank top decorated with the jagged red C, a blue jacket over the tank top, black pants with blue stripes down the seams, and blue winter boots. Upon spotting them, she walked toward them.

"We've been looking for you!" Zack shouted.

"So have I, Cipher kiddies." The girl lifted up a Poke Ball and tossed it, releasing a Sealeo duo.

"A double battle? I guess that means I'm in, too." Roen chuckled. "Go, Chimchar!"

"Pikachu, back him up!" Zack cried.

The moment the two Snaggers' Pokemon touched the ground, the battle was on! One of the Sealeo used an Ice Beam, covering the ground below their feet with ice. Then it started gathering some of the ice in its flippers, and then tossing it at the two smaller Pokemon. Chimchar melted the Ice Balls with Fire Spin while Pikachu dodged. The second Sealeo patiently waited.

"Leo, now!" the Cipher goon called. "Use Aurora Beam on that Pikachu!"

"Leeeeeoooo!" the second Sealeo barked, rainbow-colored energy building up in its mouth. Then it threw back its head and shot forward, the attack launching. Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt to counter. The two attacks collided, resulting in an explosion. Ice and snow flew around wildly, hitting anything in its path.

"I should have worn a thicker jacket!" Zack yelped, pulling the collar up to cover his face. He hugged his green jacket even tighter to his body.

"At least you have one!" Roen yelled back, keeping one arm in front of his face. His body felt numb.

"Well, sorry!" Zack called.

The smoke cleared and debris fell back to the ground. Looking up, the duo saw that one of the two Sealeo was down and the other was barely keeping itself up. The Cipher goon huffed and threw out her last Pokemon, a Spheal. It had a dark blue upper body, gray stomach and spots, and glowing red eyes.

"There's our Shadow Pokemon," Roen muttered, rubbing frost off his glasses.

"Alright then, Pikachu! Use Thunder to take down that last Sealeo!" Zack ordered.

Pikachu released a huge blast of blue electricity, finishing the last Sealeo off. Another Thunderbolt and the Spheal was theirs'. The goon turned and ran as the duo captured her Shadow Spheal.

"That was easy," Zack said.

"But that explosion was unnecessary." Roen pointed out.

"It's your own fault that you don't have a jacket on!"

"I'd rather freeze to death than die of overheating, especially in this weather." Roen replied.

"Whatever! Let's get back to the gym and find Luffy!"

"Sure," The duo raced back to the gym, Shadow Pokemon in hand.

_Celadon Department Store, top floor..._

Dart groaned, picking up his radio. Just as he'd predicted, Florence had lost. Those Snaggers weren't all that strong, it was just because the Cipher Gym Leaders were all pathetic! Yeah, that had to be it. If Cipher would just give that Shadow Mew to somebody, the Snaggers would drop like flies in front of their power. But no, the boss just had to insist that they don't give it to someone unless the Snaggers reach the Indigo Plateau.

Due to all of his grumbling, the blonde never noticed Ookami stepping onto the roof. _So, he's the guy I have to beat... right? I hope so. The stairs were hard to walk up._ Taking a step forward, she made the mistake of stepping on an empty pop can. Crunch!

Dart froze for a second before whipping around, sword drawn. Ookami dove behind a bench but knew that it couldn't save her. The swordsman eyed the bench, glaring at the one who intruded on him. "Come out and show yourself! Are you a Snagger?" Dart demanded. "Get up and tell me!"

Ookami slowly stood up, shaking. "My name is O-Ookami Ryuuy-yuki and I a-am a Snagger. Pre-Prepare to have y-your Sh-Shadow Pokemon t-taken away from y-you!" she said, raising a Poke Ball.

"You're a Snagger, kid? Pathetic," Dart growled, lowering his sword. "Look at you. You're shaking like a leaf. So Mark had to lower himself to picking up cowards, too. I should have guessed." He turned around, looking over the city again. "Go home, brat! You're only a nuisance. You probably can't even beat your own Gym Leader, so could you possibly beat me, a Cipher Gym Leader?!"

_Cipher... Gym Leader?_ Ookami thought. _So, he's just like that woman who took over Erika's gym. Has Mark already beaten him, or do I have to do that now? He must be really strong. Can I take him?_

Dart smirked. "I can tell you're scared, kid." He noted. "Go home before I make you. If you can't beat your own Gym Leader, you stand no chance against me!"

His radio sparked to life. "Agent... time to return... Florence is back... Next mission waiting... boss' orders..." It died again.

"Darn," Dart muttered. "I better go, kid. But as a reward for staying in my presence this long, I'll give you this." He tossed out a badly beaten Wynaut. It had a purple body and red eyes. "Take him. I don't need him anymore. I've already asked boss for a different one. This one's just useless to me."

Ookami tossed her Poke Ball, capturing the wounded Pokemon. Clutching the Poke Ball close to her chest, she stared at him determinedly. "I'm not a coward."

Dart looked back at her, surprised. "What did you say?"

"I'm not a coward. I can take care of myself." Ookami said. "Mark didn't choose me because I'm a coward. He chose me because I don't like seeing Pokemon hurt. I want to stop you people from hurting Pokemon, like you did to Wynaut. Pokemon shouldn't be treated like that. Ever!"

"Then why are you shaking?" Dart demanded, turning to face her again. "Why are you afraid? If you want to fight me, what's holding you back? Why are you so scared?"

"I'm not scared. Nothing's holding me back. I'm not afraid." The brunette looked up at him. "I'm shaking because I'm excited, not afraid."

"Huh?" Dart's eyes widened in surprise. _Those eyes...! They're the same eyes!_

"Are you going to fight me or not?" Ookami asked.

Dart glared and turned away, hopping on top of the railing. "Nope, I won't fight you. There's no point in fighting a coward." Holding up the teleportation device, he grinned. "Maybe later. Adios!"

Ookami watched until he teleported away, and then walked back down the stairs. "I better tell Mark what he said." She muttered.

_Celadon Gym entrance..._

The group finally met up together. Handing over their Shadow Pokemon to Mark, the group was ready to set off again. "How about we head back to Lavendar Town tomorrow?" Luffy suggested.

"Why?" Zack asked. "We could go down Route 16 and be on Cycling Road tomorrow."

"Prof. Oak said that we'll be getting help soon and I think they're at Lavendar." Luffy explained. "If they're not, we'll head back here and go on Cycling Road."

"But most of us don't have bikes." Alex pointed out.

"Those of us who have bikes can go through the station." Will suggested. "Those of us who don't will have to sneak in."

"But that's illegal!" Ookami gasped. "If we get caught, we'll be in big trouble!"

"Then we won't get caught, Ookami." Mark said. "Have a little faith. We'll get in one way or another."

"So, are we all camping at Ookami's until tomorrow?" Roen asked.

"Yep, so let's go!" KC cried.

As the nine Snaggers headed for Ookami's place, they never noticed a certain white-haired psychic silently watching them. _Anna, I pray I am doing the right thing._ With a flash, he was gone.

_On the island that houses Cipher, Mimzy's room..._

Mimzy sighed, adding the yellow lightning bolt to her newly-painted black nails. She had just finished painting her nails when someone knocked on her door, making her drop her nail polish. Mimzy huffed. "Stupid, talk before you knock!" she yelled, opening the door.

She was surprised to see Freeze. "Mimzy, I'm here to ask you a few questions." He said, trembling in anger. _She betrayed us. I can't believe she betrayed us for this._ "May I come in?"

"Fine but look where you step, stupid. Your stupid surprise visit made me drop my stupid nail polish." The blonde warned, letting him into the room.

The moment he stepped into the room, he suddenly understood why she went to the trouble of killing his friends. Her room was three times bigger than his and Molt's, and had a big bathroom too! She had a queen-sized bed, and the room was painted black and yellow. But the thing that caught his eye most was a framed photo that sat on her dresser. Freeze stepped closer and his eyes widened in surprise. It was the picture of all the Elementals with a written note: _My Best Friends, I'll Miss You_.

Mimzy noticed Freeze looking at the picture. "Those were my first targets, you know." She explained. "They were the first people to accept me and were my best friends. I think I might have had a crush on Terry at one point... but that's in the past. I still miss them."

"Then what made you kill them?" Freeze asked. _She misses us. She killed them but she still misses them. What will she do when she finds out one of them in standing right in front of her? Kill me, or let me go?_

"Oh, I didn't kill all of them." Mimzy chuckled. "I let two of them go, the stupid redhead and the blue-haired boy. I killed all the others except them."

"Why did you kill them?" Freeze demanded. "They were your friends and you just killed them! Why?"

"What do you care?" Mimzy growled. "Whatever. I'll tell you anyway, stupid. I killed them because..."

"Why?"

Mimzy giggled. "Cipher made me a better offer."

Freeze was in shock. _A better offer? What could be better than friends?_

"Cipher offered me money, power, Pokemon, and so much more." Mimzy added. "That's way better than living in a creaky tree house in Viridian with a bunch of smelly brats who thought they ruled the streets. Though, boss did say something about destroying the Element Masters but I opted for killing them instead. Why are you so interested in that, stupid?"

"There's always someone out there who can beat you. No one is ever truly the strongest person in the world, not even god." Freeze recited.

Mimzy fell silent. "Who told you that, stupid?!" she hissed.

"An old friend, just days before they betrayed us to a big organization. She looks like you and talks like you, but this will ensure everything." Freeze muttered. "Do you remember telling me this, _Electra_?"

Mimzy froze. "How do you know my old name?" she asked.

"Because I'm one of the two people who you told that to. Do you remember me now?" Freeze asked. "My redhead twin and I came here looking for you, and you were right under our noses. We came to get revenge for our friends but I have a question. Did we really mean anything to you or were we just tools you used?"

"Why would that matter?! Who are you, stupid punk?" Mimzy screamed.

"My name is Freeze, former Elementals member." Freeze said, turning around.

Mimzy looked shocked but anger quickly took over. "Why have you come here?" She clenched her fists. "Do you really think you can beat me in a full blown battle? I think not!"

_It looks like I can't get out without battling first. Sorry, Molt. I pray I make it back tonight._ Freeze thought, grabbing Glaceon's Poke Ball. "Electra, I don't wish to fight. Just answer me truthfully and I'll leave!"

"Too bad, punk! You asked for this!" She jumped at him, raising a knife. "Now prepare to die!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!!" Blood splattered on the walls and floor. Small flecks of blood decorated the picture of the Elementals, which had fallen to the floor in the commotion. The glass cracked before completely shattering. All became quiet except for the dripping of blood.

Mimzy was crouched over Freeze's unmoving body, looking at her hands in fear. Blood pooled in her hands, dripping onto Freeze's slashed and bloodied uniform. She was shaking now. "What have I done?" she whispered. Then she threw back her head and screamed.

_Molt and Freeze's room..._

Molt groaned, sitting up. His head was pounding. Looking at the clock, he had been out for about an hour at most. Standing up, the redhead suddenly remembered what Freeze said he'd do. "AAAH! I gotta find Freeze before he's killed!" he cried, running out of the room and down the hall...the wrong way.

Skidding to a stop before on of the training rooms, he shoved the doors open. He didn't see Freeze but he did see a Shadow Flareon. It had bright red fur with a pale gray tail, neck, and head fur. Glowing red eyes narrowed angrily as it growled. Molt stood in awe. _I finally found a Shadow Flareon._

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Molt looked away from the Flareon to see one of the Cipher Gym Leaders. Blazer, to be more precise. His Shadow Blaziken stood by his side, patiently awaiting orders. "Can't you see we're training? Shoo, scat! Do whatever it is you little punks do. I gotta get this Flareon under control."

"Hey, maybe I can help." Molt offered, forgetting his twin for the moment. "I'm a Fire-type trainer and I trained a Flareon before, so maybe I can help you."

"Huh?" Blazer sighed, tipping his sunglasses down. "I guess if you really want to. But don't come crying to me if Flareon hurts you. He's vicious so far, you know."

"I won't." Molt promised, walking toward the Fire-type Pokemon. Kneeling down, he held out a hand. "Come on, it's okay. You don't have to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you." Flareon sniffed his hand and bit him. "Ouch!"

"I told you so!" Blazer yelled. He grabbed Flareon by the scruff. "Bad!" The fox blew fire at him, making Blazer drop him. "Shoot, you're a moody Pokemon. How the heck am I supposed to train you?!"

"Let me try again." Molt begged.

"Go ahead! I could care less!" Blazer grumbled, patting his chest from where the flames burnt him. _I've never had this much trouble with a Fire-type before. If this kid can tame it, he can have it._

Molt held out his hand again. "It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you. You don't have to be scared." The Flareon sniffed his hand and rubbed his head against it, purring. "See, I told you. He was just scared and confused." Molt explained, picking up Flareon and petting him. "It's alright. If you want, I can help you train him."

Blazer sighed, turning on his heel and walking away. _Amazing. This kid tamed Flareon in two tries. Even a Gym Leader like me couldn't get to it. I guess I've got to keep to my promise._

Molt noticed the older boy walking away. "Hey, you left Flareon!" he called.

"Keep him. He obviously likes you, not me." Blazer said. "I'm not the kind of guy to force a Pokemon to be mine if it doesn't want to be. He doesn't like me but he likes you, so you keep him." He walked out the door and waved. "Take care of him!"

Molt smiled, hugging Flareon. "Welcome to the team, Flarey." He said. Suddenly, a loud scream ripped through the air. Then Molt remembered why he was here. "Freeze!" He returned Flareon and ran out of the room.

Molt crashed into Blazer once he reached Mimzy's room. "Get out of here, kid! You shouldn't see this!" Blazer scolded.

"No, that's my brother in there!" Molt protested.

"Just let the brat in." Florence said.

"Florence, you're back?!" Blazer cried.

"Yeah, I lost. Get over it and let the kid in."

Molt shoved his way in and stood, frozen, in the doorway. Freeze was lying in a pool of his own blood in the center of the room. A large slash cut across his body from his right shoulder to his left side. Faint movement in his chest signaled that Freeze wasn't dead yet. Molt faintly heard voices telling him to move. He crashed to the ground, fainting. _Freeze...no..._

_Ookami's house, the next morning..._

"Well, let's get going!" Mark called, walking out the fence door.

"Erika, you'll watch over my house, right?"

"Of course, Ookami." Erika promised. "Just go with your friends and have fun. Stay safe, everyone!"

"We will!" Zack said. "Bye, mom and dad! See you later!"

The nine Snaggers were leaving Celadon behind and headed back for Lavender Town to search for this mysterious ally Prof. Oak mentioned. Nobody knew what they looked like but couldn't wait to find them. They walked through Route 7 and the Underground Path, entering Route 8. While the others walked on, KC pulled Zack aside and the duo started climbing the tall rock wall on the left side of the route.

"Hey, big brother! Look how high I am!" KC called.

Luffy looked up, only to see his younger brother and Zack almost to the top of one of the giant rocks that littered the route. They were at least 150 feet in the air. "KC, Zack, get down from there!" he shouted.

"What are you shouting at?" Alex asked. The group followed Luffy's finger and saw the two Snaggers up on the rocks. "Hey, get down from there! You could fall and die!"

"No way!" KC replied.

"We'll be fine!" Zack added. "Just—" The rock under his foot gave way, making the blonde fall backward. "Watch?" Zack fell down the side of the rock. "AAAAAAAHH!!"

"Zack!" Will yelled.

"Oh man, oh man! I knew this was a bad idea." KC whimpered, sliding the rest of the way down.

Zack closed his eyes, not wanting to look down. Suddenly, his back hit something and he wasn't falling anymore. "Huh? I'm not dead?" Looking down at what he landed on, he saw brown feathers. "A Pokemon?!"

Once the giant Flying-type, identified as a Fearow, landed and deposited Zack, the blonde raced back to his friends. A teenage girl stepped out from behind the rock, frowning. "You guys are more pathetic than what I thought. Can't even save yourselves from a measly fall. I guess it was a good thing that I was here or we'd be down one Snagger." She said, flipping her black ponytail over her shoulder.

"Wait a second! I know you!" Ookami cried. "You're Leena!"

Leena smiled. "Bingo."

"Leena, the sixth place champion of the Kanto League?" Roen asked. "This is totally awesome! I saw your battle on TV and I'm surprised that you got so far."

"You're famous," Ryan agreed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the other Snagger that Oak probably told you about." The raven-haired girl replied. "Now, what are you doing heading for Lavender? Shouldn't we be going towards Cycling Road?"

"Yeah, we were looking for you first!" Will said. "Maybe if you had come to Celadon sooner, we wouldn't have had to backtrack looking for you!"

"Whatever!" Leena huffed. 'I'm here now, hothead, so let's get moving. Do you all have bikes?"

_Hothead?! Where does she get off acting high and mighty?_ Will thought. _Champion or not, this girl definitely doesn't know what respect is!_

"No, not all of us do." Mark explained. "Those of us who don't are going to sneak in."

"That sounds kind of low for us, but I guess we have no other choice." Leena agreed. "Arcane, get out here!" Once her Arcanine appeared, she climbed on his back. "Let's get moving."

"I like her, Mark." Alex chuckled.

"Good for you." The green-haired Snagger groaned. _Just great! A second bossy girl. As if Alex wasn't enough to put up with._

"KC, you are such an _idiot_!" Luffy hissed, hitting his younger brother on the head. "What if you had fallen instead of Zack? Dad would kill me!"

"Ow! Ow! I'm sorry!" KC whined. "Quit hitting me already!"

"Well, you do deserve it." Ookami said. "You could have been seriously hurt or worse, dead. You have to be more careful, KC."

"Okay, I get it!" KC cried, escaping his older brother's clutches. "Ryan, save me!"

"I'm not getting involved." The brunette muttered, sidestepping his raven-haired friend.

"Aww, you're mean!"

"Not as mean as your brother."

"Good point, Ryan." Luffy said, cracking his knuckles. "Now get over here and take your punishment like a good boy! Don't make me spank you!"

"HELP!!" The two brothers were chasing one another, one to escape and the other to punish the escaper. "GUYS, DO SOMETHING!!"

"As Ryan said, I'm not getting involved." Zack quoted.

"I agree." The blue-haired teen agreed, pushing up his glasses. They had slipped down his nose while he had been screaming over Zack's near-death experience. "Can we get going now, Mark?"

"Um, sure. Why not?" Mark shrugged, leading the group onward.

"What about them?" Ookami asked, pointing to the fighting brothers that were being left behind.

"They'll catch up soon enough. Just leave them." Alex pointed out.

"Well, if you say so." Ookami muttered, reluctant to accept that answer.

"Have you always been that shy?" Leena asked as Arcane slowed down, walking beside the brunette. "Hop on! Let the guys do the walking. You too, blue-hair!"

"It's Alex!"

"Whatever, just get on!" Once the duo hopped onto the Fire-type, Arcane sped up. The boys were left behind. "See you, boys! We'll wait in Celadon for you!"

"NO FAIR!!" the boys all shouted.

"Why are we leaving them behind? Shouldn't we slow down so they can catch up?" Ookami cried, tightening her grip around Leena's waist. "And aren't we going too fast?"

"Oh, come on! Live a little!" the raven-haired girl laughed. They were racing through the Underground Path now. "Haven't you ever ridden on a Pokemon before?"

"No, I prefer walking." The brunette replied. "I'm gonna fall off!"

"No you're not, Ookami. I've got you!" Alex reassured, keeping her hands on the older girl's shoulders. "If you fall off, you'll land on me long before you hit the ground. Hey, can we go any faster?"

"Oh, please no! This is fast enough!" Ookami cried, tightening her grip further.

"Yeah but I don't think Arcane will go much faster with three on his back." Leena said. "And can you loosen up, girl? You're squeezing me too tightly!"

"Sorry, I just don't like going too fast."

"Well, here's Route 7. After that, we'll have to stop and wait for the boys." Leena promised. "Just a bit further and you can get off."

"Thank you!" Ookami said.

Once they entered Celadon, the Arcanine stopped to wait for the guys. Ookami practically fell off, gasping for breath and muttering something about the sky tilting. Alex jumped off and spun around, laughing. Leena smirked as Arcane lay down. _So, these are the only girls on the Snagger team besides me. I like the blue-hair, she seems a lot like me in some ways. As for that other one, it might take a while to get used to her. I never liked the shy, nervous ones._

_With the guys, back on Route 8..._

"I can't believe that they just left us! Who does that girl think she is?" Roen growled, clenching his fists. "She even took Ookami with her. I can't believe this!"

"Well, believe it." Ryan replied. "It just happened."

"Let's just hurry up and catch up!" Luffy cried, through with punishing KC. "Aren't we supposed to be on Cycling Road by now?"

"Yeah, let's get going!" Mark agreed. "Everyone, let's step up the pace! We got to catch up, and quickly!"

"Right!" KC groaned, rubbing his sore bottom.

The boys took off at a run, desperate to catch up before Leena decided to just leave them behind and go ahead herself. After going through the Underground Path and Route 7, they finally reentered Celadon City. The sun was high above them now, its burning rays heating everything it touched.

The guys found Leena and the girls on the other side of Celadon, closest to Route 16. Ookami was taking a nap and Alex was watching the clouds. Leena was the first to notice the exhausted boys. "Took you long enough to catch up." She grumbled. "When are we leaving for Cycling Road?"

"After we take a break," KC panted, collapsing in the grass. "We're tired. Why'd you leave us?"

"Because I just could. Guys can take care of themselves, right?" Leena taunted. "Plus, riding on Arcane beats walking any day of the week."

"Lucky you," Mark muttered, sitting down beside Alex. "How long did we take to get here?"

"About 20 minutes, maybe a half hour." The blue-haired girl answered. "I wasn't really paying attention. Are we leaving soon?"

"Once all of us catch our breaths, yes." The green-haired boy nodded. "Did Ookami just fall asleep?"

"No, she fell asleep when we got here."

"Oh, okay."

They waited for around an hour before moving on. Roen woke Ookami up and Leena offered the girls another ride on Arcane. The brunette politely refused but Alex jumped on. The group headed down Route 16 and Zack pointed out the small building behind the fence. A familiar face was there. "Guys, stay here." Mark said. "I'll be back."

Taking the second path beyond the fence, he went past the station and entered the small building near the sea. The smell of salt water was thick but Mark ignored it. He had other things on his mind. Standing in the middle of the room was none other than Prof. Oak. "Well, Mark. It seems you've found me yet again." He chuckled.

"Don't I always?" the green-haired boy asked. "What are you here for this time? We found that Leena girl. Has Shadow Master left any new messages?"

"I'm here for three things, Mark." Prof. Oak said. "One, I'm here to give you this." A golden coin on a chain was pressed into his palm, an Amulet Coin. "Two, Shadow Master did leave another message. He said that Cipher's plans are nearly finished and that by tomorrow night, more Legendaries will be disappearing. Which ones, he never specified."

"I hope Zapdos is okay." Mark muttered. "What's the last thing?"

"I'm sure Leena will tell you soon enough but I think it is best to tell you now." Oak muttered. "It seems Cipher wants to eliminate me for helping you. Not long ago, two agents were sent to capture me. Leena stopped them but my laboratory is no longer safe. Tracy and I will be leaving soon, so there's no point in trying to contact me there. I will be contacting you from now on, understood?"

"Got it. Where will you be going?" Mark asked.

"I might head for either Prof. Ivy's lab in the Orange Islands or I might go to Elm's lab in Johto."

"Okay." Mark nodded. "So, this is goodbye?"

"Until we meet again, yes." Oak said. "Good luck with your journey. Make many new friends and save as many Pokemon as you can, Mark."

"I will, Prof. Oak. Good luck to you!" Mark turned and left, heading back for his friends.

"What did Oak say?" Luffy asked.

"Cipher's after him, guys." Mark explained. "He's going to Ivy's or Elm's within the next few days, so we can't contact him anymore. Cipher's gonna steal some more Legendaries in the next few days, too."

"That's terrible! Can't we do something to help?" Ookami asked.

"Not at the moment, Ookami." Alex said. "But once we free the regions, we'll save them too. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Roen cried. "Onto Fuchsia City!"

"YEAH!!" everybody cheered.

"Now to get past the station and get on Cycling Road." Ryan muttered.

Soon, they had a plan. Leena entered the station and distracted the guard, allowing the others to sneak past unnoticed. Once she was done distracting him, she went past on her bike. When they were all on Cycling Road, known as Route 17, Leena put away her bike and released Arcane again. They headed down the route, prepared for any battles that came their way.

Through most of the route, they had to battle Cipher goons who had no Shadow Pokemon on them. A few were just normal trainers that were dealt with by Alex, Zack, and KC. They kept to the west path throughout the route. Ookami ended up finding a Full Restore hidden in the long grass just before entering the route. All in all, they were just normal battles.

They finally reached the end, where both paths of Cycling Road merged as one. They walked along the path until they had to turn left, entering Route 18 and another lookout station. Just before going to the station, the group rested near the water to relax for a bit. The sun was setting once again, turning the water various shades of color. The air was cooler thanks to the ocean breeze, cooling down the sweating trainers.

"Those were some fun battles, right?" Mark asked, folding his arms behind his head as he lay on the ground.

"Yeah, they were." Will agreed. He took out Drapion's Poke Ball, frowning. _Maybe Koga can help me with Drapion,_ he thought. _Koga is the Gym Leader for Poison-types, after all. I hope he can help me._ Then he noticed something. "Is it just me or is that a really big bird?"

"Yeah, it is pretty big." Leena muttered. "What is it?"

Luffy gasped. "It's Zapdos!"

"Zapdos?" Roen asked. "What's it doing here? Isn't it supposed to be on Lightning Island?"

"Maybe it fled after Articuno and Moltres were taken." Ookami suggested.

"No way." Leena disagreed. "It would take more than that to drive Zapdos out of its territory."

"Maybe it's going to the Power Plant." KC pointed out, hugging his Pokemon Egg closer. "But why? Wouldn't it try to take over all three islands?"

"Maybe Cipher tried to capture it." Alex said. "Zapdos probably fled to try and escape them."

"Yeah, that might be it." Ryan agreed, nodding.

"Man, this is awesome! I thought I'd never see a Legendary." Zack cried. "This is the best Pokemon journey ever! I can't believe I'm seeing this!"

"Well, you're seeing it." Mark chuckled. "I just hope Zapdos gets away safely."

"Me too," Ookami said.

Soon, Zapdos vanished into the clouds once again. The group got up and headed for the lookout station. After distracting the guard again, the Snaggers started walking along the path just outside of Fuchsia City. The sun was nearly gone, stars twinkling high above them. They saw no Cipher goons, so they entered the city. It was mostly quiet except for the occasional passerby.

Walking around the large rock that housed the Fuchsia Gym, two homes, and the Pokemon Center, the group still saw no goons. The Cipher Gym Leader also was not present. They entered the Pokemon Center and were immediately confronted by Koga and his daughter, Janine.

"We've been expecting you, Mark and friends." Koga said, nodding. "We have not seen the stealer of my gym since they defeated me. Their location is unknown."

"So you don't even know if they're still in Fuchsia?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Janine replied. "It was scary, that battle between dad and that thief. They used dad's own tricks against him. Scary, right?"

"Yeah, definitely scary." Roen muttered.

"Hey, Koga? Can I ask you a favor?" Will asked.

"Of course," Koga said. "Mark, why don't you and your friends get rooms while I speak with your friend?"

"Sure, why not? Come on, guys." Mark called.

Once the others had reached the front desk, Koga and Janine turned to Will. "So, what favor do you want to ask of me?" the Gym Leader asked.

"Well, I'm having trouble taming my Drapion." Will admitted. "I was wondering if you could help me train it. Could you?"

"Sure! We'd love to help!" Janine laughed. "I've never seen a Drapion before. Dad, can we help him?"

"Of course, Janine," Koga nodded. "Tomorrow morning, Janine and I will help you train your Drapion. Is that all right?"

"Uh, sure. Anytime is okay, actually." Will said.

"Good. Now, I believe you should catch up with your friends before they leave you behind." Koga pointed out.

"What?!" He turned to see the group going upstairs to get their rooms. "Hey, wait for me!"

As he ran after them, Janine laughed. "He's funny!"

"I agree. Now, I think we should get to our own room, Janine." Koga suggested.

"Yes, Dad." She muttered, yawning. "I hope we can beat that gym-stealing goon. We'll make them sorry they ever touched our gym."

"I agree, Janine." The duo went upstairs to their room.

After the Snaggers had organized themselves into the three rooms, they turned out the lights to sleep. But Mark couldn't sleep. His mind was clouded by thoughts of what Cipher was doing. _They're looking to eliminate Prof. Oak. They're capturing more Legendaries in the next few days. The Fuchsia City Cipher Gym Leader hasn't been seen since they took the gym. I can't do a thing to change any of those things right now. What's Cipher planning next? The world's balance is in danger. The whole world could be destroyed! What can I do?_

He rolled over, trying to force the thoughts out of his head. "Mark, are you okay?"

"Huh?" He looked over the edge of his top bunk bed to peer at Luffy. The older boy was still awake. "No, I'm not okay. How would you like it if the world was in danger and you couldn't do a thing to stop it?"

"I'd be scared." The older boy replied. "And I _am_ scared, Mark. Everything could be destroyed and everyone could die. We're the only thing preventing that. That scares me, knowing all Cipher has to do is get rid of us and the world's theirs."

'I know." Mark muttered, rolling over to face the wall. "Luffy, I'm sorry to ask this but why do you think Cipher killed your mom?"

"Well," Luffy stretched slightly before continuing. "The doctors said that her condition was unusual, a one in a million chance. Her illness was a rare but fatal one that affected every one in a million people."

"What was her illness?"

"I don't really now." Luffy admitted. "All I know is that it was a disease transferred from a severely ill Pokemon to a perfectly healthy human through blood. And I definitely know my mom has never been near sick Pokemon. She even avoids hospitals, oddly enough. Plus, mom didn't like Pokemon all that much."

"How do you think she got it then?" Mark asked.

"Cipher must have done something. Cornered her and injected the disease into her bloodstream or something. Mom dying is probably what made dad leave Cipher."

"They did the same thing to your dad as they did to Mist. Cut off all ties to the outside world. Make you fully loyal to Cipher." Mark said. "They probably were planning on killing you and KC, too."

"I remember KC getting sick around the time mom died." Luffy reflected. "It was terrible. He couldn't sleep, he was burning up, his throat was sore from all the coughing, his voice was scratchy, and he puked and slept a lot. He nearly died. But that was around the Time dad went to New Moon Island to find Darkrai. Maybe he found Shaymin and had it cure KC."

"Wow." Mark whispered. "Your dad sure is nice."

"I know. What about your parents?" Luffy asked.

Mark frowned. "I don't really know. They left me in foster care for a few years until I could live on my own. They practically abandoned me for no reason at all."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't be. I don't really care anymore."

"Well, I'm going to bed. You?"

"I'll try."

After a while, Mark finally fell asleep. But once again, his dreams were plagued with darkness. The Shadow Gengar fled once again to inform its master of the Snaggers and Leena's alliance. It just prayed that master was in a good mood tonight.

_On the island that houses Cipher, boss' chambers..._

Prof. Pine sighed, pushing his glasses up as he stood outside of the boss' room. He really had no idea why he was called here in the middle of the night. Something about Agent 99, one of the strongest Cipher Peons. He was also one of the youngest at the age of 10. And Prof. Pine had the terrible job of watching over the ungrateful child. Pushing open the doors, he entered the dark room.

"Sir, you called me about Agent 99." Pine called. "Is something wrong with him?"

"Yes, there is. I suggest you take better care of your charge, Pine, or you will live to regret it." The voice of Cipher's boss echoed throughout the large chamber. "Now take him back to his room and do as he wants. You know how valuable Agent 99 is to my plans, correct?"

A small hand grabbed Pine's, startling him. Looking down, he sighed upon seeing a pair of dark blue eyes filled with tears. "Yes, sir. Well, come on then. Let's get you back to your room, Agent 99." The professor groaned, pulling the ten-year-old with him.

Upon leaving the dark room and closing the doors, Pine finally got a better look at Agent 99. The agent's dirty blonde hair was sticking up in all directions, giving him quite the ruffled appearance. His red T-shirt and blue shorts were wrinkled, and his gray and green shoes were untied. The agent's glasses made his dark blue eyes look bigger.

"Prof. Pine, I keep having this weird dream of these two black-haired boys." The boy complained.

"The same as always, Bradley?" Pine asked. "I'm not at all surprised except that you came looking for me again, crying this time."

"But this time, it was different!" Bradley complained. "The older one called me 'brother' and suddenly they were both dead. And it's Brad, not Bradley!"

"Of course, Brad." Pine muttered. "Are you going back to bed?" He pointed to a door that said _Agent 99_ on it. "We are here. Either go to bed or be quiet. I have a ton of research to do."

"Okay, I'll go to bed." Brad groaned, entering the room. "Night, Prof. Pine."

"Good night, Brad." Pine replied, walking away.

Crawling into bed, Brad reached over and picked up a photo on his nightstand. It was of the two black-haired boys in his dreams, along with two older people. The names written on the bottom were: Vivian, KC, Luffy, and Darien. The woman holding the younger boy had long black hair. The man also had messy black hair and a pair of reading glasses, his arms wrapped around the older boy's shoulders. A strange image of a ghostly creature loomed just behind the group.

_Who are these people? And why do I feel strange each time I look at them? _Brad thought, his finger resting over the woman. _What's it like to have a mother? Who knows? I've been here since I was a baby. But still, why do those boys affect me so? Who are they?_

Putting the photo away, Brad curled up in bed. _Maybe I'll meet them one day. Then I'll get my answers._ Closing his eyes, the young boy fell asleep.

Unaware to him, a ghostly woman with long black hair appeared, smiling at him. _"Brad, I missed you."_ Stroking his hair, she vanished once more. _"I love you, Brad. I love just as much as I love your half brothers."_

**Next Chapter:** I Will Not Give Up

"WAAAH!!" Will screamed as he crashed into the bushes. Popping back up, he spat out leaves. "Koga, how does letting Drapion beat me up get him to respect me?"

"It shows your persistence." Koga replied. "It proves that you will not give up on it so easily if it disobeys or attacks you. Keep coming at it and it will eventually realize you do not intend to leave it."

"And that get Drapion to respect me?" Will asked.

"Possibly, or that will really annoy it." Janine laughed.

"Not funny, Janine!" the brunette yelled. "But whatever. I'll do whatever it takes to get Drapion to obey me again. I'm not giving up on you, no matter what! You got that, Drapion?!"

The huge Poison-type blinked before roaring again. "DRAAAAAA!!"

"I think he gets it, Will." Koga muttered.

"So do I," Janine agreed.

"Well, BRING IT ON!" Will shouted.

--

Hooray! Brad finally made his appearance! And Leena joined the group! I'm sorry this took so long, everybody! I hope you're still reading it. I'll probably make a poll about if the Snaggers should separate after freeing Kanto: one group to Johto, one to the Orange Islands, and another to the Sevii Islands. If you agree, please vote on the poll or include it in your review! And is you want, include who you think should go where.

Also, I need someone to make a Cipher Gym Leader for Viridian Gym to take Giovanni's place. And, if anyone wants to, you can make up the Cipher Gym Leader for Fuchsia since I just realized that I hadn't made anyone for that gym yet. I purposely kept the Fuchsia Gym Leader's gender anonymous so you can make them male or female. If no one wants to, I can make up Fuchsia's Cipher Gym Leader. But I definitely need a Viridian Gym Leader if anyone will make one, please!

I'm also writing a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon story based on PMD2. If you think I should put it here on for others to read, please say so and I'll get the first chapter up right away. Thanks once again, everybody! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you later!


	26. Chapter 26: I Will Not Give Up

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, it was a blast to write. This chapter features the appearance of the Fuchsia Cipher Gym Leader and the beginning of the Fuchsia Gym Battle. I hope you all enjoy it! It won't be short like the last battle! Anyways, onto the chapter!

Chapter 26: I Will Not Give Up

_KC looked around. He was back home at last. Cipher was gone and he had finally married his beloved Alex. Luffy was off with his old girlfriend, winning her back. Life was good. No Cipher goons, no Shadow Pokemon, no Cipher Gym Leaders, and no running for their lives. Everything was perfect._

_Suddenly, the room seemed to shatter like glass and he heard a scream. "ALEX!!" KC cried, turned toward the sound. He took one step and he tripped. Looking down at his clothes, he realized he had shrunk. He was back to being 13, like all those horrible years ago. Pulling himself to his feet, he ran. "ALEX!!"_

_The scream echoed everywhere, confusing the terrified teen. "KC, HELP!!"_

"_ALEX!!"_

_KC tripped over something, making it—no, he—groan. Looking down, he stared in horror at the bloodied face of Luffy. "KC...ru...n..." the older boy whimpered._

"_Big brother, what happened?!" KC demanded, tears running down his face._

"_It's...no..t her...Don't..." Luffy coughed. "...don't lis...ten to...her..."_

"_Her? Who is it?!" KC cried. "Tell me! Big brother? Big brother!"_

"_KC..." a soft voice called. "KC...Where are you, KC?"_

_The raven-haired boy slowly turned around. A tall woman wearing a bloodstained dress stood before him, her face hidden by her long black hair. A large shadow silently followed her, a single blue eye watching. "Mom?" KC whispered. He hadn't seen his mom in years. She was dead._

"_KC...Come here, KC..." his mother said softly, beckoning with one hand. He noticed that her fingernails had become sharp claws and her hands were covered with blood. "Let mother hold you, KC...I've missed you..."_

_KC slowly stood up and stepped toward her, only to be halted by someone grabbing his foot. Looking down, he saw Luffy. "Don't...it's not..." In an instant, a black and white creature attacked him and held the older boy above the ground by his neck. "K...C..." he gasped, blood pouring from his mouth. "...run!"_

_But KC had already abandoned his brother to his fate. He had missed his mother for so long and now he could finally be with her again. As he walked, he passed the bloodied bodies of his former friends. Ookami and Roen were holding each other, trying to ease their pain. Leena lay beside her dead Arcanine, taking her last breaths. Ryan was fumbling for his glasses, lying shattered a few inches away from his fingertips. Zack and Will lay side by side, trying to comfort one another in their final moments. Mark was all alone, his Pikachu curled up in his arms as he mumbled apologies to everyone. And Luffy was slowly being strangled by the Pokemon he had once called friend, Darkrai. But Alex was still missing. Where was she?_

_KC reached out to take his mother's hand when he heard a sob coming from behind her. His mother shifted, revealing a dying Alex behind her. KC gasped and tried to run to her, alone to be halted by an invisible force. "KC..." his mother whispered. "If you go to her, you'll lose me again. Who do you choose? Your mother or your wife?"_

"_But, I..." KC couldn't believe this. Pick between the two he cherished most? Impossible! Why couldn't he have both?!_

"_You can only choose one, KC..." his mother said. "Do you want to lose your mother again? Or do you want to lose your friends and family?"_

_Taking a final look at Alex, he turned to his mother. "I choose you." He said. _No, what are you doing?!_ His mind screamed. _Didn't you hear Luffy? It's not your mother! Turn around, go back to Alex! You stupid idiot!_ Realizing what he'd done, he turned to Alex. "Wait! I choose Ale—!!"_

"_Too late, KC. You've already chosen me." His mother said, but something was wrong. His mother's voice became demonic and giant wings sprouted from her back. She stepped forward, revealing her face at last. KC screamed. "What's the matter? Didn't you want me instead of your friends?"_

"_Guys, help me!" KC cried. But his friends were vanishing, including Darkrai. "No, come back! I'm sorry, guys! Help me, please!"_

"_Say goodbye, KC!" A single swipe of those claws tore KC to pieces. He screamed._

_As the tearing continued, he heard a voice. "KC, wake up. KC? KC! Get up, you little runt! Hey, wake up! KC!"_

_KC's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, everybody." He closed his eyes, awaiting death. Suddenly, his body jerked as if it has been shocked by electricity. He screamed his last. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"_

Sitting upright in bed, KC crashed his head on the ceiling and yelped. "KC, what are you doing?" a voice yelled. "You woke all of us up with your screaming!"

"Hey, you shut up!" another voice growled. "That's my brother you're talking to. Shut up before you say something else that gets me mad."

"Guys, stop fighting!" a third voice intervened. "KC, what happened? Why did you scream?"

Opening his eyes, the raven-haired boy looked over the edge of his bed to see Will and Luffy at each other's throats while Mark tried desperately to calm them down. "Guys, stop it! I'm fine! It was just a nightmare!" KC cried.

Luffy and Will separated, throwing threats at each other. Once that was done, Will stalked of to his bed under KC's. "Are you sure, KC?" Luffy asked. "What was it this time?"

"It was the one...with mom in it. But you guys were in it, too." KC muttered. "I'll tell you later, big brother."

"Okay." Luffy nodded.

Then a loud scream sounded from the next room. The door to their room was flung open and Roen ran in, hiding behind Luffy. "Hide me!" he cried.

Leena came stomping in, dragging Ookami behind her. "Where is he?!" she yelled. Noticing him behind Luffy, she shoved the raven-haired boy aside and cornered the blue-haired boy. "You little coward! How could you let your own friend get injured when the injury was aimed at you?! You stinking coward!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Will asked. "What did Roen do? And how's Ookami involved?"

Grabbing Ookami's arm, she indicated the bandages wrapped around her arm. "He let her get bitten by a Sharpedo!" she yelled.

"Ow! Leena, that hurts! Let go, please!" Ookami complained, trying to pry the raven-haired girl's hand off of the bite.

"Roen, how could you?!" Will gasped.

"Will, you don't get it!" Mark said. "Ookami pushed Roen out of the way. She was protecting him from the Sharpedo!"

"Oh, that makes sense." The brunette muttered, nodding.

"Still," Leena growled. "Men should be willing to put themselves in danger to protect women, not the other way around. If you can't even protect her, you must really be a coward!"

"I froze up, okay?! I was scared but never called me a coward!" Roen yelled. "It was my Staraptor that forced the Sharpedo to let go of her!"

"Yeah, _after_ she was bitten." Leena pointed out. "You—"

"Stop it, Leena! I did that on purpose!" Ookami said. "Don't be so hard on Roen. I was only doing what I thought was right. And I don't regret it either! I'll protect my friends long before I protect myself!"

"Why the heck would you do that?! What would your friends think if you died protecting them?!" Leena demanded. "Well? What?!"

"I...I..."

"Hah! I thought so!" Leena said, smirking. "Nothing is gained by dy—"

"We'd think she died bravely." Mark interrupted. "She would be willing to throw away her life to save ours and we'd be willing to do the same for her. That's what friendship truly is. Always being there for each other and making sacrifices to ensure everyone will make it to see tomorrow."

_This kid's insane!_ Leena thought. _My sister died saving me and all it brought me was pain and misery. How can you protect anyone by dying in their place?!_

Alex and Zack entered the room. "Hey, Will! Koga's waiting for you out back so he can help you train Drapion." The blue-haired girl reminded. "Aren't you supposed to be there?"

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot!" Will yelped, running into the bathroom to get dressed. After running back out, he said, "See you, guys! Don't take on the Cipher Gym Leader without me!"

"Have fun, Will!" Zack called. "I hope Drapion behaves."

"Probably not, Zack," Luffy pointed out. "Drapion are known to be vicious. I wonder why it listened to him as Skorupi but not as Drapion."

"It probably thinks that because it is stronger, it no longer needs to follow his commands." Roen suggested. "Stronger Pokemon tend to be like that unless their trainer proves their worth to them."

"Weird," Alex muttered.

_On the island that houses Cipher, medical ward..._

_Ugh...Where am I? And why does everything hurt?_ Freeze slowly opened his eyes, groaning. The white walls confirmed his suspicions: he was in the medical ward. Looking down, he saw a long blue-green hospital gown was the only thing he wore. His clothes, including the shredded shirt, lay on the bedside table. _What happened? Why is my shirt torn up? Where's Molt? Oh god, my head hurts!_

Rolling over, he yelped as pain tore through his chest. Rolling onto his back, he saw small purple spots appearing on the gown. "Huh?" His voice was scratchy. _Is that...my blood? God, what happened?!_

"You better not do that anymore." A voice said.

Whipping his head around, he saw a young woman with hazel eyes and tan skin. Her sleek brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she looked around 20 years old. She wore a leather jacket over a white T-shirt, jeans, and black tennis shoes. She was sitting by his bed, tapping her hands on her knees.

"Who are you?" Freeze asked. "What happened?"

"You fainted from blood loss yesterday afternoon, Freeze." She said. "You have a long gash from your right shoulder to your left side, not too shallow yet not too deep. Your brother is on the bed beside you. He fainted after seeing your injuries. You're both in stable condition, though your wound needs more time to heal."

"You didn't answer my question." Freeze growled. "Who are you?"

"Terra, Cipher Gym Leader of Viridian." She replied, frowning. "I just returned from Viridian after gaining control. Team Rocket isn't easy to defeat, you know."

Looking at the bed beside him, the blue-haired teen smiled. Molt was all right, but something was bugging him. What happened to make him get this injury? He remembered knocking Molt out and leaving the room, but where did he go? A flash of yellow and a knife blade flashed through his head.

Then it hit him. Mimzy! Electra! He went to see her and confront her about the betrayal! He remembered the photo of the Elementals, how she said she missed them, then realizing who he was and attacking him. Freeze had expected a Pokemon but Mimzy had stabbed him instead!

Sitting upright, he cried, "Where's Mimzy? I need to talk to her!"

"Hold on, Freeze." Terra muttered. "You still need to rest. Prof. Pine will be back in a minute. Mimzy is in Rosalean's room for who knows what reason. Why do you want to see her?"

"I have to tell her something. And how do you know my name?"

"I've memorized all known Cipher Peons' faces and names." Terra explained. "I can identify any agent by looks or name alone. That's how I work. I always need to know the name and face of my targets before I take on a mission."

"Oh, okay." Freeze lay back down, suddenly exhausted.

The purple-haired scientist stepped into the room. "Oh, Freeze! You're awake at last. Good! Terra, thank you so much for watching him for me. I'll pay you back as soon as possible, I promise!" he said. "You can leave now."

"Thanks, professor." Terra nodded, standing up. Freeze noticed that she had no hint of gratitude in her voice, or hadn't even smiled. _What a weird girl,_ he thought.

"Now then, how are you feeling?" Pine asked. "Oh dear, you're bleeding again! That's the bad thing about these big injuries: when one part of it isn't bleeding, the other part surely is. Please stay still for a minute, this'll sting." Lifting a bottle of peroxide and pouring it onto a cloth, he unbuttoned the gown and rubbed the cleaning substance on the wound.

Freeze squirmed when the gown was unbuttoned. He hated showing off his skin, especially around other people. It made him uncomfortable. He hissed as the peroxide bubbled and fizzed. _I hate this stuff. It stings too much!_

Once it stopped fizzing, Prof. Pine wiped it away with a dry cloth. After buttoning the gown again, he returned the peroxide to its shelf in the medicine cabinet. "There, that wasn't so bad." Pine muttered, smiling. "Don't move too much and try to get more sleep. I'll be back in a few hours! I have to run some tests on the two Legendary birds we caught. I wonder how much power we'll need to turn them." He headed out the door, still mumbling to himself.

Freeze groaned, looking at his brother. "I wonder how Electra is right now?" he wondered. Then he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

_On the island that houses Cipher, Rosalean's room..._

"Rosalean, why? Why did I do that?!" Mimzy cried.

Rosalean was sitting on her bed, comforting the one person she always thought of as the kind to never want comfort: Mimzy. The blonde was curled up beside her, face buried in the redhead's shoulder. She was breaking down over hurting some blue-haired boy that she knew previously. Rosalean never bothered with Peons, they were just mindless minions to them. But this minion seemed to have quite the effect on Mimzy.

"Why did I do that? He should've never come out! I can't believe I did that! I nearly killed him, Rosie! I nearly killed him!" she wailed.

"What's the difference between killing this Peon and killing the Snaggers?" Rosalean asked, not enjoying this contact. She never liked getting too close to women, she liked being with men more. "Is this guy that big of a deal?"

"What if you nearly killed Mist or Blazer? How would you feel about that?!" Mimzy shouted. "That's how I feel about him! I hate him but I never meant to do _that_ to him!"

"Ugh..." Rosalean looked at the picture Mimzy had brought with her. It was a big group of people, including Mimzy. The glass was shattered, the remaining pieces covered in blood from Mimzy's cut-up hands. The picture itself had bloody fingerprints on it.

"Rosie, what do I do? Boss will never let me get away with this!" Mimzy cried, digging her bloody hands into Rosalean's shirt. "I've never tried killing a fellow Cipher before! What'll happen? Will boss kill me now? Rosie, help me! Please!"

"Hey, calm down." The redhead said. "And get your hands off my shirt. Boss won't kill you but you'll probably be punished severely. You'll be fine, Mimzy, now get up and take a deep breath. Geez, I never knew you had a sensitive side."

"It's only 'cause..." Mimzy sat up, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "It's only because my insane side likes to kill. I like killing but only strangers I don't know."

"You killed those Elementals, and they were you friends. What was up then?"

"I had orders to, I had no choice." Mimzy complained. "I want to get stronger no matter what. But I didn't want to kill him. I left him alive for a reason, Rosie!"

"I'm not going to bother asking why." Rosalean deadpanned. "Hey, are you okay now? Are you done crying?"

"Yeah," Mimzy stood up, picking up the picture she brought. "Thanks, Rosie. Sorry, I did this." Looking at the floor, she saw small blood puddles from her entering the room an hour earlier. Suddenly, her voice turned serious. "But if you tell _anyone_ what happened here, you're dead. Got it?!"

"Okay, okay! I get it." The redhead barked, raising her hands. "Now get out of here. This is already suspicious enough with you coming in here. We're not even friends, right?"

"Not fully, but kind of." The blonde said, smiling. She pushed the door open and stepped out. "Bye. Thanks again."

"Whatever. Bye." Once the blonde was gone, Rosalean sighed. "I guess even Mimzy isn't all that heartless. I guess I'm not alone anymore with this secret-keeping. I have Anna and Mimzy has her sane side. Nice..." Looking down at her floor and bed, she groaned. "How do you wash bloodstained stuff? The same as dirty clothes?"

_Fuchsia Gym..._

Blazer growled, kicking a rock away. "These freaking tilted floors are making me dizzy," he grumbled. "Why did I get picked to come here? Make Mist do it, not me!"

"Too bad, you were chosen," said a guy with spiky blackish-purple hair. He wore a purple T-shirt, blue jeans, and black and purple tennis shoes. Black metallic bracelets jingled from his wrists. "What's wrong, Blazer? You scared of this gym?"

"No, just ticked off by it." Blazer barked. "I mean, who the heck puts tilted floors and traps in their gym. This place is a freaking maze! How do the Snaggers even get in here, Martin?"

"By passing through all of the traps I set up." Martin, Cipher Gym Leader of Fuchsia, explained. "I disabled Koga's, making his knowledge of the gym useless aside from our location. These traps are quite the unique things, yes?"

"Whatever. I could care less." Blazer said, folding his arms behind his head. "I like the forward, fight immediately approach. You get my drift?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Martine muttered. "I prefer to test my opponents' strength and intelligence before battling them head-on. Plus, the traps wear them down and make it easier on me to finish them off."

"Dude, that's just twisted." Blazer snapped. "What's the point in fighting someone if they're not coming at you at full speed? It's no fun to fight a weakened opponent."

"Well, it lessens the effort on my behalf." Martin countered. "We have different ways of fighting opponents, Blazer. You fight immediately with them at full health. I fight later while my opponents wear themselves out trying to get out of my traps. A difference of opinion, I see."

"Uh, whatever you say." Blazer said awkwardly. _This guy's a nut. I can't understand what he says most of the time. Though, I can't wait to see those Snaggers beat you to a pulp. Some measly traps aren't going to slow them down. No way, no how!_

_Outside of the Pokemon Center..._

Will panted for breath, finally finding Koga and Janine. "Sorry I'm late, Koga. What do I have to do?"

"First, release Drapion." Koga instructed. "Then try to get close to it. Even if it strikes you, continue to try getting near it."

"Oh, okay." Will muttered, pulling out Drapion's Poke Ball. _This doesn't sound too safe but if it'll get Drapion to listen to me, I'll do it._ "Drapion, come on out!"

The huge Poison-type popped out. Looking around, it let out a mighty roar. "DRAAAAAA!"

"Okay, be good." Will whimpered, slowly inching toward the angry Pokemon.

Drapion noticed him and roared again. "Keep going! You can do it!" Janine cheered. Finally getting annoyed, Drapion whipped around and smashed its tail into Will, throwing him backward.

"WAAAH!!" Will screamed as he crashed into the bushes. Popping back up, he spat out leaves. "Koga, how does letting Drapion beat me up get him to respect me?"

"It shows your persistence." Koga replied. "It proves that you will not give up on it so easily if it disobeys or attacks you. Keep coming at it and it will eventually realize you do not intend to leave it."

"And that get Drapion to respect me?" Will asked.

"Possibly, or that will really annoy it." Janine laughed.

"Not funny, Janine!" the brunette yelled. "But whatever. I'll do whatever it takes to get Drapion to obey me again. I'm not giving up on you, no matter what! You got that, Drapion?!"

The huge Poison-type blinked before roaring again. "DRAAAAAA!!"

"I think he gets it, Will." Koga muttered.

"So do I," Janine agreed.

"Well, BRING IT ON!" Will shouted.

For the next few hours, Will continued to get pummeled by his Drapion. But he never gave up. He continued to get right back up, no matter how badly he was hurt or how much he was bleeding. Koga and Janine silently watched, waiting to see the outcome. Drapion simply got angrier and angrier, but its movements were becoming less angered and more frustrated. Then, after three hours, it was over.

"AAAH!" Crashing into the bushes once more, Will spat out some blood as he pulled himself out. His body ached but he was as determined as ever. He wasn't giving up now!

Koga finally stood up. "Enough!" he called. "This obviously isn't getting through to it. We'll try another method once you are taken care of, Will."

"Sorry, Will. Better luck next time?" Janine said, hopping down from the branch she had been sitting on. Pulling out a roll of bandages, she knelt beside the wounded brunette and started bandaging him up. "That was tough. Your Drapion sure is stubborn, just like its owner. Maybe another method will get through."

"I hope so." Will muttered, wincing as he moved his arm. He was surprised that Drapion didn't break any bones. _I must really be lucky,_ he thought.

"You know, I noticed something." Janine chirped. "A little while ago, Drapion seemed like it was holding back. Like it was intentionally trying not to hurt you too much. Maybe you did get through to it a little."

"Maybe," Will agreed. "But I still have a long way to go."

"Maybe not all that long of a way." Janine giggled. "It just takes a bit more to get it done."

Mark walked into the clearing. "Hey, Koga! We're gonna go to Fuchsia Gym now! You coming?" he called.

"Of course!" Koga jumped down from the boulder he was standing on, landing lightly in front of the Snagger. "Janine, stay here and take care of Will. Leave Drapion out to relax a bit."

"Yes, Dad!" Janine cried. "Get our gym back! We'll be waiting!"

"We will!" Mark shouted. The duo left for the Pokemon Center to gather their friends and head for the gym.

"So, we're staying here?" Will asked.

"Yep!" Janine nodded. "Now, stay still so I can fix you up."

"All right," he groaned, staying still. Drapion wandered around, keeping an eye on the two humans that stayed behind. Better keep an eye on them. With a sniff, it noticed something. There was a third scent in the air. Someone else was there with them!

_Fuchsia Pokemon Center..._

"Are we ready to go, guys?" Roen asked.

"Yes we are!" Leena said. "Let's go already! I want to kick some Gym Leader butt!"

"Wait for us, guys!" Mark shouted, appearing in the doorway with Koga. "Are you guys planning on leaving without us?"

"Of course not, Mark. Why would we?" Ookami asked. "We can't beat them without you."

_I bet I could,_ Leena thought. _These guys are so dependent on him. What'll happen if he dies in this war? What will they do then?_

"Where are the rest of your friends?" Koga wondered. "There are only three here. Aside from them, you, and Will, where are the others?"

"They're looking for the goons wandering the city, Koga." Roen explained. "Since there are ten of us Snaggers, we've decided that one group should deal with the goons while the other group fights the Cipher Gym Leader. Pretty smart, right?"

"Yeah, _real_ smart," Leena chuckled. "Can we go yet? This is my first Cipher Gym Leader battle and I want to get it over with. Let's go beat him!"

"Calm down, Leena!" Ookami suggested. "We'll leave once Mark says so."

"Well, I'm leaving now!" Leena shoved past the green-haired boy, leaving the Pokemon Center and releasing Arcane. Hopping onto his back, they went to the gym and waited at the doors. "Are you coming?!"

"Yeah, we're coming." Mark muttered, following her.

"Bossy..." Roen grumbled.

"She should've waited for us." Ookami said. "What if there's a trap waiting for us?"

"I'll wait inside," Leena growled. The moment Arcane vanished behind the door, Leena screamed. "GUYS, HELP ME!!"

"Leena!" The five Pokemon trainers raced to the gym. As Mark opened the door and stepped inside, he couldn't feel the floor. As he tipped forward, Koga grabbed his jacket and hauled him backward. "Be careful! It's a pitfall trap!" he warned.

Looking down, Roen pointed out the fallen duo. "How do we get them out?" he asked.

"Leena, try to get your Arcanine to run up the wall!" the Gym Leader ordered. "It's the only way you're going to get out. The walls are packed dirt but Arcanine's claws can unearth it."

"Okay, I got it!" Leena cried. Looking at her leg, trapped under the stunned Arcane, she groaned. "How the heck did I fall for that?"

Pulling her leg free, she started shouting at Arcane to get up. Once the Arcanine got shakily to its feet, she clambered onto his back and commanded him to climb. Backing up to the far wall, Arcane raced along the floor and then up the wall. Upon reaching the top, Arcane leaped onto the opposite side of the pitfall from the Snaggers.

"Now what, Koga?" Leena asked. _I'm so not falling for another trap like that one._

"Wait until we get over there!" Mark called. "Koga can we get around this?"

"If we jump, we should make it across." Koga replied. "The point of this trap is to surprise you once you enter. Just jump!" Leaping across, Koga landed and stood up. "Hurry, all of you! It's possible that this won't be that last trap we encounter."

"Got it!" Roen grabbed Ookami's hand and nodded. The duo jumped across together, making it with a bit of help from Arcane. Then Mark jumped. They were all across now. "What now?"

"Keep an eye out for any more traps." Koga cautioned. "I set up my traps to look like normal objects. This opponent must be doing the same thing but with the element of surprise added to it. Watch your step, everyone."

"Will do," Leena muttered.

"Ookami, stay close." Roen said.

"Okay. Where is the Cipher Gym Leader?" Ookami asked, tightening her grip on Roen's arm.

"Probably in the main gym, the back room. Look for a tilted floor." Koga replied. "Mark, halt! Don't take another step!"

Mark froze. Koga knelt down and brushed his finger against a wire. A single tug and a flurry of shuriken shot out of the wall, impaling the opposite wall in front of Mark. "Thanks," he said as Koga sat up.

"Great spotting, Koga!" Roen cried. "I never would've seen that one coming. Hey, what's that in the next room?"

"Is the floor...?" Ookami stepped closer to the door. "Is the floor...moving?"

"I think so." Leena muttered. The group stepped through the door. "Holy! It _is_ moving! This room's a moving maze!"

The room was indeed a huge maze. There was a good ten feet between the top of the moving maze and the ceiling. The walls of the maze were constantly shifting, opening new paths and dead ends. There was always a wall moving. Koga took a deep breath and leaped, landing on top of one of the walls. "Up here!" he called.

"How do we get up there?!" Roen demanded. A loud bark from Arcane settled it.

The other three climbed onto the Fire-type's back and he jumped, landing on top of the maze. After returning Arcane, Leena and the others followed Koga. Whenever the walls moved beneath them, the group was separated temporarily until their paths united once more. That is until one of them slipped up.

"Come on, Ookami." Roen urged, helping the brunette walk along a particularly narrow wall. Suddenly, it started moving. The duo screamed, falling into the maze. They landed on a grey tile with a white spot on it. Then, they were warped into another part of the maze. "Ow! Guys, where are you?!" the blue-haired boy cried.

It was faint but he heard a reply. "Roen, Ookami? Koga, we lost them!" Mark cried.

"It must have been a Warp Tile." Koga said. "They were teleported to another part of the maze. One of us should look for them while the others head for the door."

"But who'll look?" Mark asked.

"I will. Just get going!" With that, Leena raced away along the walls, searching for her two wayward companions. "Hey, Roen! Ookami! Where are you?"

"My butt hurts, Roen!" Ookami complained. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the maze." Roen replied. "We fell when that wall shifted. I can't hear or see the others though. Do you think they'd leave us?"

"No! Mark would never leave his friends!" Ookami cried. "They must be looking for us! Mark, we are here! Help, please!"

"Hello? Is anyone out there?!" Roen shouted. "Geez, how big is this maze?"

"You don't know?" Ookami asked.

"No, I wasn't looking in front of me. I was either looking down at the wall my feet were on or at you." Roen replied. "Sorry, I should've paid more attention."

"Good, because you didn't even know I was here!" a voice laughed.

"Leena!" Ookami cried.

"How long were you there?" Roen demanded.

"About a minute. Why?" Leena asked. "Just kidding! Come here so I can pull you up. This wall's a little short than the rest."

"Why?" Roen asked.

"Who knows?" Leena chuckled. Suddenly, the wall sank a few inches lower. "Whoa! That was weird! Is it me or is the wall sinking?"

"It's not just you." Ookami said. "We saw it, too." Something wet brushed against her ankle, tugging her down. Realizing what was happening, she screamed. "AAH! Roen, we're sinking too!"

Looking down, they saw purple mud slowly dragging them down. Then, eyes and mouths appeared in the mud. "That isn't mud! It's a pack of Grimer!" Leena screamed. "Hurry, grab my hand! NOW!"

Grabbing her hands, Leena dragged the duo up onto the wall. Surprisingly, Ookami and Roen managed to keep their shoes despite the Grimers' efforts to keep a hold on them. Once up on the wall, the trio took off just as the wall collapsed. "Let's get out of here." Roen suggested.

"Yeah, let's!" Leena agreed.

The trio took off running, unaware that Blazer was perched on the ceiling rafters, watching them. "Geez, Martin. Pretty good tricks but they're not slowing down. Looks like I was right after all." He chuckled and raced away on the rafters, heading for the back room where Martin was waiting.

_With Janine and Will..._

Janine sighed as she finished bandaging Will up. Looking around, she noticed that Drapion was staring at one spot in particular. Standing up, she motioned for Will to stay silent. Throwing a shuriken into the tree Drapion was staring at, a sudden rustle of leaves proved her theory correct: somebody else was in this clearing with them.

A guy around 17 stepped out from behind the tree, wielding a Poke Ball in his hand. He had pale red hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a white T-shirt, black jean jacket, jeans, and black slip-on shoes. Tossing the Poke Ball, a Shadow Venonat popped out. Its fur was red, its paws were gray, and its antennae were pale gray.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Will demanded.

"My name's Doku and I want to battle you brats." The teen replied, smirking. "I've been watching how you train that Drapion, boy. To put it simple, that's pretty pathetic. Pokemon aren't meant to be your friends, they're meant to be creatures of combat. Once Cipher finishes its plans, you'll understand that."

"Cipher won't win. Not on our watch!" Janine cried. "Go, Ariados!"

Doku grinned and tossed a second Poke Ball. It contained a normal Muk, but it seemed a bit bigger than usual. "Just to make things interesting, let's test your friendship with Drapion. Muk, use Sludge to trap Drapion. If the boy gets close, attack him too."

"What?!" Will yelled. "Leave Drapion alone! He's not part of this fight!"

Muk ignored the brunette, launching itself at the scorpion-like Pokemon. Pinning it to the ground, Muk tried to suffocate Drapion by covering his head in sludge. Will ran forward, only to be thrown backward by a Sludge Bomb. Ignoring the smelly sludge, Will charged again. _Drapion, hang on! I'm coming!_

Meanwhile, Ariados was having trouble hitting the quick-moving Shadow Venonat. Launching a String Shot, it finally managed to snare the Bug-type. A single bite finished the fight and Venonat was beaten. Will tossed a Poke Ball, capturing the Shadow Pokemon. Now they just had to free Drapion, which wouldn't be easy.

Will tried once more to help Drapion. Muk growled and lashed out, throwing Will into a tree. A loud crack signaled that the tree had cracked under the force of him hitting it. The brunette slumped to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Then he staggered to his feet again. Blood ran down from his scalp, dripping down his face and dripping off his chin. "Drapion, hang on." Will gasped. "I'm not giving up. I'll save you no matter what."

Drapion stared in shock. His trainer was willing to die saving him? But why? After all he did to the boy, Will still wanted to help him? Drapion was confused but understood what he had to do now.

"Hah! You think you can gain friendship by getting hurt? Lame!" Doku roared with laughter. "Muk, finish that bug off and let's go! This battle's getting boring."

"Ariados, use Giga Drain on Muk!" Janine ordered.

Drapion roared, throwing the slightly weakened Muk off of him. No way was he losing to this ball of sludge! With new determination, Drapion stepped between Muk and Will. "Drapion! What are you doing?" Will shouted. Drapion looked at him and smiled.

"Will, I think he's helping you!" Janine cried. "You did it! When you promised to help it against Muk, Drapion must've realized that you did have what it took to tame it. It must've finally acknowledged you as its trainer! You did it, Will! You did it!"

"All right, Drapion!" Will called. "Finish that sludge ball with a pounding!"

Smashing its pincers into the purple Pokemon, Drapion started hitting it as hard as he could. Nobody hurt his owner except him! Nobody! After a bit, Muk fainted. Doku groaned, returning it. "Guess I was wrong. You guys were a good match for me to battle." Doku complimented. As he walked away, he muttered, "I could've sworn that Muk was paralyzed throughout that beating. It didn't respond to any of my commands and didn't even move. But who did it?"

"We did it!" Janine cheered. "Though, didn't you notice anything odd about how Muk acted after Drapion threw it off him? It stopped moving and let itself get beaten."

"Yeah, I noticed." Will nodded, patting Drapion's head. "Great job, boy. Return!"

After he was returned, Janine tugged on Will's shirt sleeve. "Let's look for the others now! I want to know if dad won yet!" A snap of a twig made the young ninja freeze. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Now, Janine! Is that any way to treat your aunt?" a voice replied. A woman with long green hair bound in a long ponytail stepped out. She wore a pink and red ninja outfit, fishnet visible underneath it. A Venonat padded alongside her.

"Auntie Aya!" Janine cried. "Were you the one that paralyzed that Muk?"

"Of course, Janine," Aya chuckled. "Who else would've done it? Koga isn't here, so of course I did it. And it sure helped, right?"

"Yes, it did." Will nodded. "Thanks for the help. But why didn't you jump in when you first came? I know you've been there longer than a few minutes."

"I wanted to see how you and Janine would fight it out." Aya replied, flipping her ponytail back. "If it got too dangerous, I would jump in immediately. My brother would be pretty mad at me if Janine died. But it seemed you kids coped without much help from me."

"I guess we did, didn't we?" Janine muttered. Will nodded. "Is Dad done battling yet?"

"Not yet, Janine. The gym is full of menacing traps that might take a while to navigate through." Aya explained. "It might be a while still until your dad and his companions come out. Now, why don't you look for your other friends?"

"What will you do, Aya?" Will asked.

"More training, but I'll keep an eye on the gym and alert you if they come out." Aya promised. "Good luck!" With that, she and Venonat vanished into the forest.

"Now what?" Will mumbled.

"Let's find the others!" Tugging Will along, the duo returned to Fuchsia in search of their friends.

_Fuchsia Gym..._

Koga and Mark finally made it to the doorway and were waiting for the other three. "Do you think they're okay, Koga?" Mark asked. Sparks shivered. Something wasn't right here.

"I'm sure they're fine, Mark." Koga reassured. "They're strong, I know it. They will catch up to us soon."

Then the trio appeared, running across the tops of the walls. One by one, the walls were collapsing behind them. "GET THROUGH THE DOOR!!" Leena shouted. The trio landed beside the duo and together, they raced through the door. The door closed just in time as a swarm of Grimer attacked. Mark gave her a look and Leena sighed. "Grimer," She panted. "They're stinky but the stupid buggers are pretty fast."

"I agree," Roen said, sliding to the floor. "I'm done running."

"Good, because you've finally reach my room, dear Snaggers." Martin chuckled, stepping out of the shadows.

"Is he the Cipher Gym Leader?" Ookami asked, looking at Koga.

"Yes, he is." Koga replied. "Prepare to fight! I will regain my Gym Leader title today by defeating you, gym stealer!"

"Oh, how very courageous of you to battle me directly," Martin said, smiling. "But, alas, you have to deal with a Peon first before you can engage me in battle. Blazer, keep watch outside for the rest of those pesky Snaggers. I'd rather not be disturbed in my glorious battle against the Snaggers. Better yet, take those two pieces of trash with you." He pointed to Roen and Ookami. "I only want to battle the best of the best."

"You deal with them, smart-mouth." The redhead growled. "The others had to deal with whoever came into their gym. Now you have to, too. No exceptions."

Martin huffed, frowning. "Well, that's not very fair." He muttered. "But, if I must, I will. Those bits of trash will fall within the first attack. Blazer, leave us."

"Fine, Mr. High and Mighty," Blazer hissed, jumping up onto the rafters and racing away. "I freaking hate that guy! I pray those Snaggers pound him into the ground so deep, nobody can dig him out. I certainly won't!"

Martin smirked, overhearing Blazer's threats. "Now, with him out of the way, let our battle begin. Peon, start now." He said.

"Yes, sir." Ty said, stepping out from behind the younger man. The 21-year-old brunette pushed his glasses up and tossed two Poke Balls. "Riolu, Nosepass, it's time to battle!"

"Both of them are Shadow Pokemon, guys!" Mark warned.

Shadow Riolu had purple fur with a black mask, chest, back legs, and aura-sensing ears. The smooth bone on the backs of its paws was gray. Glowing red eyes glared at them, its ears rising to sense their aura.

Shadow Nosepass had a black stone body with a bright red stone nose. Its usually-closed eyes had a red glow around them. A gray shadow covered the area around its eyes. It had its back to them, its nose constantly facing north. It was waving its stone arms slowly up and down.

"Go, Kurisutaru!" Ookami cried, unleashing the Glaceon.

"Chimchar, come on out!" Roen ordered.

"Dragonair, time to have some fun!" Leena laughed.

"Sparks, get in there!" Mark said. The Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, ready to fight.

"Venomoth, go!" Koga commanded.

The five Pokemon stood together, prepared to fight. Martin smirked. _Well, this is interesting. An Ice-type, a Fire-type, a Dragon-type, an Electric-type, and a Poison-type. Quite the varied group you have here, Snaggers. But if my sources are correct, there are more of you wandering the city. This will truly be an interesting battle indeed._

_The streets of Fuchsia City..._

"I can't believe Mark made me stay behind this time!" Alex whined. "I _always_ help fight the gym leader but now I'm reduced to fighting goons. This is so unfair!"

The group was standing just outside of the PokeMart. "Well, at least you're with us." KC chuckled. _She really _is_ cute when she's mad. At least she and I can beat up goons together. Fate is so on my side today._ "Maybe we should head for the Pokemon Zoo. Mark's PDA said there was a goon there with a Shadow Pokemon."

"Fine, I guess so." The blue-haired girl grumbled, crossing her arms. "Where are you guys going?"

"Since Will isn't here, I'm going with Ryan." Zack declared. "We'll be heading to the Safari Zone, There's a goon with a Shadow Pokemon standing near the doors."

"And I'll be heading to some house called Warden Slowpoke." Luffy said. "It looks like I'm going all alone this time. Oh well! See you!" He ran towards the giant rock, going for the house next to the Pokemon Center.

Ryan and Will headed for the giant building to the north. Just as Zack said, they could see a goon near the door. KC and Alex headed east and went around the zoo, heading for the front doors. "Ready or not, here we come!" Alex yelled into the corridors. They both entered the zoo, looking for their target.

The moment the five Snaggers split up, Janine and Will stopped in front of the gym. "If Dad isn't out, we should look for any more goons." A loud shout from the house next to the gym caught their attention. "The old man must be in trouble! Come on!"

"Old man?" Will asked.

"He's the grandfather of that Pokemon Storage creator, Bill." Janine explained. "We have to help him." Bursting into the house, they saw two goons in the house. One was holding the old man roughly by the arm while his partner searched the house.

"Doro, I can't find it!" the searcher complained. "It might not be here anymore!"

"Shut up and keep looking, Jas!" the other barked, tightening his grip on the old man. "Just find the darn thing so we can get out of here! Those papers have to be here somewhere. Find them!"

"Hey, let him go!" Janine yelled, attracting the duo's attention.

"We were caught! Doro, now what?!" Jas cried, tugging his brown hair.

"You keep looking." Doro ordered, shoving the old man at the Snaggers. "You can have him. We don't need him anymore."

"Are you okay, sir?" Will asked.

"Yes, but you have to stop them." The old man gasped. "If they get those papers that Oak faxed me, it's over. Oak has the locations of all the Cipher bases and has plans to destroy the main base here in Kanto. You have to stop them from getting those papers, please!"

"Right!" Janine said, nodding. They stood in front of Bill's grandfather. "Crobat, get in there! Use Wing Attack!"

Flapping its wings, it created four mini-whirlwinds that crashed into the goon in front of them. Doro cried out, only to fall silent as Jas started cheering. "What are you so happy about, Jas?!" he shouted.

"I found them, Doro! They were in the cupboard! See, see!" Jas flashed the stapled papers at his friend.

"Oh, no!" Bill's grandfather cried. "Hurry, you have to stop them!"

"Gible, help out! Use Bite on the goon with the papers!" Will ordered.

The shark-like Pokemon pounced forward, chomping on the goon's leg. Screaming, Jas dropped the papers...only for them to be caught by Doro. "Hurry up, slowpoke! Kick that bugger off and let's go!" the raven-haired shouted. "We have what we want." Kicking out the glass of the window, he jumped out. Kicking Gible off, Jas jumped out too. By the time the trio got out of the house, the goons were running down Route 18.

"Darn it!" Janine growled. "I can't believe they got away!"

Bending down, Will picked out a stray piece of paper. "They got the locations of the bases," he said, smiling. "But they forgot the paper with the plans on it." He presented them with the paper covered in Oak's writing. It was his entire plan for destroying the main Kanto Cipher base. "They just got locations, not plans."

"All right!" Janine cheered. Handing the paper to Bill's grandfather, she smiled. "There you go. Put it in a safe or somewhere safer than a cupboard, okay?"

"I will." The old man promised. "Young man, I want you to keep it safe."

"Huh?" Will asked. "Why me?"

"It keeps mentioning the Snaggers and something tells me you're one of them." He replied. "These plans involve you and should be kept by you. Maybe you can make sense of them since I couldn't."

"Um, well...thanks?" Will said awkwardly. "My friends and I will keep it safe, I promise."

"Thank you, young man." With that, he reentered his house.

"You better keep that safe." Janine advised. 'If Cipher wants those plans that badly, you better protect them with your life, all of you Snaggers."

"We will," Will nodded. "Now let's find the others."

Running down the slope, they never heard a peep from Warden Slowpoke's house. They also never noticed the blood on the front door or the window. And they never noticed the baseball cap resting just inside the partly-opened door, covered in blood spots.

_On the island that houses Cipher, bath house..._

Mist sighed, collapsing in a lounge chair. This was the first time he had left Poindexter's room in a few days and the bright light bothered him a lot. He wanted to take a really long nap and forget about his and Poindexter's plans for the future. _Anna, am I doing the right thing now? I hope so. If not, it may be the last thing I ever do._

A voice tore through the silence. "You finally came out of that dark room with the hacker?" Rolling over, he groaned upon seeing Dart. "Geez, whitey. I never took you as the guy-loving type. Heh heh!"

Mist sighed. "No, I have no interest in men or women. I was ensuring that Poindexter did nothing to betray us." He replied. _How many lies do I need to keep our plans secret? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand?_ "I heard that you were unable to eliminate a Snagger that you encountered in Celadon. Why not?"

"She was a coward and I don't fight cowards!" the blonde barked. "Just like you hate fighting women, whitey!"

"Again with the nicknames. You know they have no effect on me, so why bother trying to offend me?" the psychic asked.

"I have my reasons." He growled, clenching his fists.

"Well, whatever it is, keep me out of it." Mist suggested, rolling onto his back. "Deal with it yourself instead of taking it out on me, sword boy."

"You just shut up! I take it out on you because you're the problem!" Dart yelled.

"And how am I the problem?"

"...You're the problem with everything, especially _her_..." Dart muttered.

Mist froze. Dart hadn't been around when Anna was. How could he know about her? "Her? Who's that, Dart?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"You know very well who I'm talking about, whitey! Anna! That's who!" Dart spat.

"How do you know about her?!" Mist demanded. "You weren't even recruited when she died in the car crash! How would you know about her?!"

"You still believe that little lie?" Dart laughed. "Pathetic! She didn't die in a car crash, idiot! Cipher killed her to get you! You, the son of Pokemon Master Gin!"

The image of a man with white hair speckled with black and dark blue eyes flashed through Mist's head. His father, Gin the Pokemon Master who vanished years ago. He hadn't thought of him in a long time.

Dart continued, laughing. "You were so important to the boss that he just had to have you! And he managed to get you, but there was a snag. You had connections to the outside world. Anna tried to get you back. She became a Snagger to save you from us! And she died for it!"

Mist's eyes widened in shock. He knew of the death but Anna, a Snagger? That hadn't been brought up. She tried to destroy Cipher in the past in order to save him. But why risk all that? And in the end, Cipher murdered her. Grabbing Dart's shirt, he pulled him close. "Who? Who killed her?! Was it the boss? Tell me, Dart! Who killed her?!" he shouted.

Dart grinned cruelly. "Not, it wasn't the boss. He gave the order to kill her. The real killer is someone very close to you. And they're in this organization. Killing her was the only way to get in."

"Who is it?!" Mist demanded.

"...I don't know." Dart admitted, frowning. "Boss never named the killer to us Cipher Gym Leaders. But I'd really like to meet them. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, so I could kill them!" Mist hissed, shoving Dart away. Stomping down the hallway, he burst into Poindexter's room. "Find me the person who killed Anna." He ordered.

"I can't, Mist." Poindexter said. "What do you think I was doing while you were reading Anna's files so long ago? I was searching for the killer. Boss never named them in public or on the computers. The murderer is listed as anonymous. I can't find them, Mist. Sorry,"

"Darn it!" Mist muttered, punching the wall hard enough to dent it. Blood ran down his knuckles but he ignored it. "Let's get back to downloading those files. I want out of here as soon as possible."

"Got it, Mist."

While the duo continued downloading the Cipher plan files, Dart sat down in the lounge chair Mist had occupied moments ago. Folding his hands and resting his chin on them, Dart smirked maliciously.

_On the island that houses Cipher, medical ward..._

Groaning, Molt opened his eyes. A quick peek confirmed that he was in the medical ward. Rolling over, he saw a familiar blue-haired teen. Sitting up, he noticed that his twin was awake. "Hey, Freeze. Are you okay? What did Electra do to you?" he asked.

Turning his head, Freeze smiled. "I'm fine, Molt. She just slashed me with a knife, that's all. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." The redhead said, rubbing his forehead. "What do we do know? When do we leave?"

"Once I'm fixed up, I'll request a mission related to the Snaggers." Freeze explained. "Nothing too dangerous, like fighting them, but more like spying. Once we find them, we'll ask about Mimzy's fighting style. We'll try to avoid a fight and keep our Cipher identities a secret. Act like fellow Snaggers until we find out what we need and then we'll leave. We'll train some more and then take on Electra again, but this time we'll win."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"We'll think of something else if it doesn't work, Molt." Freeze replied. He yawned. "I'm still tired. I'm going back to sleep."

"Okay." Then, remembering something, he said, "Freeze, I got one. Blazer gave me his Flareon."

"Good for you." The blue-haired boy smiled. "Now go to bed or be quiet. Night, Molt."

"Night, Freeze." Rolling over, the twins fell asleep.

Standing outside of the door, Prof. Pine sighed. "So, that's what happened to Freeze." He muttered. "I better keep this quiet for a while until things blow over. I pray for your success, Trouble Twins. Now, to check up on that Articuno," He walked away, smirking.

**Next Chapter:** A Thoughtful Gesture or A Deceptive Plan?

"Well, it seems I am defeated." Martin said, shrugging. "Here is my badge. And as an extra reward, take this as well." He held out his hand, containing the Blade Badge and a key shaped into a jagged C at the handle. "That key will be very useful to you in the future, Snaggers."

Once he went out the door, Mark placed the badge in his pocket and looked at the key. "Where do you guys think this goes?"

"Maybe, like that teleportation device Florence gave you, this will help us get into one of Cipher's bases." Roen suggested. "Or it could be used to lure us into a trap. Either one is possible, Mark."

"I think we shouldn't use it until we're sure what it unlocks." Ookami said. "It could get us in trouble."

"So, is he helping us?" Leena asked. "Or is he tricking us with this key?"

--

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I just ordered a Nintendo DS, Pokemon Diamond, and the PMD2 games. Yay! This chapter was pretty fun to write this time, especially Will being beaten up by Drapion.

It seems like people like the idea of the group splitting up after Kanto. You can thank DigiDrew for the suggestion. I'm thinking of putting up my PMD2 story later but it's just a thought. I'm hoping some of you will read it if I put it up. Anyways, please vote so I can figure out if they split up or not!

Will Drapion fully obey Will? What are Prof. Oak's plans? Who really killed Anna? And will Freeze and Molt's plan succeed? I guess you'll have to find out next time. Please review!


	27. Chapter 27: Nice Gesture or Evil Plan?

Hey everybody

Hey everybody! It's been a year now since I've started writing this story and I'm very happy with how far I've gotten: 27 chapters, 277 pages as of last chapter, and 83 reviews for one story. Hooray!

I've posted up two Pokemon Mystery Dungeon stories, a one-shot and multi-chapter which will be written alongside this one. I hope some of you will check it out and see how it is. I'd appreciate it very much!

I noticed that I said twice before that Cipher had captured the Legendary birds. I decided to make it that those two times were failed attempts, making this current one a success. This chapter features the Martin battle and the capture of a few more Legendaries. I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 27: A Thoughtful Gesture or A Deceptive Plan?

The helicopters landed, the giant door closing behind them. They were at the main Cipher base, located at the heart of the Indigo Plateau area. There were there helicopters in total, all carrying giant steel crates underneath them. Inside were three slumbering Legendaries: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. After the two previous escapes by the Legendary birds, they had resorted to using iron cable nets and steel crates to transport the Pokemon to base.

Prof. Pine smiled, tapping his pen against his clipboard. _Excellent,_ he thought. _Things are going according to plan now. We have more to capture though, including that elusive Zapdos! I just know that it's hiding in the Power Plant. Where else would it be?_

"Pine, sir!" one of the pilots called. "Where do we put the cargo?"

"Place all three on this flatbed truck, but be very careful!" Pine warned. "We wouldn't want to wake our precious cargo up, would we now?"

"No, sir!" another pilot replied. "That would be bad, right?"

"Very bad, indeed." The violet-haired scientist agreed. "Now get to work! I want these Pokemon in my lab and ready to be experimented on by midnight tonight. I'd like to add these Pokemon to our Shadow Pokemon ranks as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir!" the three pilots cried, saluting. They immediately got to work at untying the cords and attaching the boxes to the crane, lifting them gently onto the truck. Once all three were relocated, the truck drove away to Pine's lab. "Done, sir!"

"Good work, men! Now go and get some rest, you have more work to do later!" Pine advised. Once the trio was gone, Pine silently walked off in the direction the truck headed towards. "Six down, plenty more to go. I better pay a visit to Freeze and see to his wounds. Knowing him, he's ripped them off and is in his room right now, doing who knows what?"

As he kept walking, he never noticed the shadow of a large pink and yellow Psychic-type Legendary silently watching him. _Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Articuno, Moltres, and Mew. How many more of us will they take? Arceus, please stop them!_ But the Pokemon, Cresselia, knew that Arceus had no control over human activities. As silently as she had come, she left again for Full Moon Island. But she knew that she was only safe for so much longer from these greedy humans.

_Fuchsia City, Pokemon Zoo..._

Alex and KC quietly snuck into the main corridor of the Pokemon zoo. It had been long abandoned but they knew they were not alone. Mark's PDA said that a Cipher goon was stalking around here with a Shadow Pokemon. He was here somewhere and the duo was forced to search for him in the darkness of the halls.

Alex coughed for the tenth time in three minutes. "It's so dusty in here! Where is everyone?" she asked, covering her mouth with one hand.

"I don't know." KC mumbled, pulling the front of his shirt over his mouth. "We have to find that goon. After that, we can get out of here."

"I know that!" They kept going for a few minutes until Alex tripped over a cord in the hall. "Ow! Is it just me or is it getting darker in here?"

"Maybe," the raven-haired boy said, pulling her back to her feet. "Maybe we can hold hands so we won't get separated?"

"I guess so." She tightened her grip on his hand. "I think I heard something over there. Let's go!"

"Uh...sure!" KC replied, tightening his grip. _She's holding my hand! She's actually holding my hand! Oh man, Arceus must want us to be together!_

As they headed farther down the hallway, they heard a loud crash from a nearby door. Easing it open, they finally found the goon. She had long purple hair and light purple eyes, wearing a black tank top, black and purple fingerless gloves, dark purple skirt with black edges, and black and purple shoes. A black baseball cap rested on her head. She was looking through a mess of broken glass, muttering.

"Hey, we found you!" KC cried. "Hand over your Shadow Pokemon and nobody gets hurt!"

"WAAAAH!" she screamed, twirling around. "Who are you and how did you get in here?! Please don't hurt me!"

"Why shouldn't we hurt you?" Alex demanded. "You work for Cipher and use Pokemon as fighting machines! Sneasel, use Shadow Claw!"

"Eek! Hold on a minute!" the goon cried. She pulled a piece of glass out of her palm, wincing. "There, it's finally out. Hey, can you come here and throw this in the garbage for me?" She gestured for KC to come nearer.

"Uh, okay?" He stepped closer and reached out, grabbing the glass.

Then the goon grabbed his wrist tightly. "Sorry, kid, but I've got a job to do that doesn't involve you. See you later!" She twisted around and threw him over her shoulder, tossing him into one of the empty exhibits. He landed on some of the broken glass.

"AAAAAH!" he howled. "Alex, get her!"

Sneasel jumped forward, tearing his claws across her outstretched arm. She screamed, throwing out a Shadow Torchic. It had red body feathers with pale gray wings and head feathers. Glowing red eyes glared at them. "Shadow Torchic, use Shadow Ember!" she ordered, clutching her wounded arm to her chest.

Black flames burst from its mouth. Sneasel dodged, leaping into the air before bringing his claw down on the Shadow Pokemon's head. Stunned temporarily, Alex ran around it and helped KC out of the destroyed exhibit. "What do you want with a Pokemon zoo?" the blue-haired girl demanded.

"Found it!!" The goon jumped up from her position on the floor, shifting through broken glass. She was holding a pile of papers in her hand. "Finally, the records of Legendary Pokemon sightings in the last fourteen years! Boss will be so happy with me, I might even get a promotion!"

"Legendary Pokemon sightings?!" the duo cried, remembering what Mark had said Oak said.

"_He said that Cipher's plans are nearly finished and that by tomorrow night, more Legendaries will be disappearing. Which ones, he never specified."_

"We have to stop her!" Alex cried.

"I know! Squirtle, use Hydro Pump on Torchic!" KC ordered.

A single blast of water and the Fire-type was down. After capturing it in a Snag Ball, Alex launched herself at the goon and tore the papers out of her hand. A goon screamed and grabbed a large chunk of glass, stabbing it at Alex. The blue-haired girl froze, eyes wide in fear as the glass descended towards her.

A loud thud and a crash sounded. Opening her eyes, she saw the goon curled up on the ground and KC standing above her, fist raised. "That ought to teach you never to hurt Alex!" he growled.

"KC, thanks for the save." She said, sighing as she rested a hand over her heart. "We have the papers and the Shadow Pokemon, so let's hightail it out of here."

"Gladly!" The duo raced out the door, leaving the wounded goon far behind.

As the two Snaggers silently went down the pitch black hallway, they couldn't help hearing small cracks echoing off the walls. After a few minutes, a loud crack sounded and Alex screamed, clinging to KC's arm. "What was that?!"

"I don't know!" _She's hugging my arm! Man, am I lucky today or what?!_ "Whatever it is, it seemed to have stopped now." Another loud crack behind them caused the duo to spin around. "Or not...Who's there?"

Then a loud crack came from behind them again. They spun around to see nothing. "Who's there?!" Alex shouted. "This isn't funny!"

"Just _what_ is making that noise?" KC wondered. Another large crack, this time sounding louder. Then the raven-haired noticed something. "It's coming from my backpack!"

"Did something climb into your bag when you crashed into that exhibit?" Alex asked. "Or is it just a ton of glass?"

"I hope it's neither." He set the bag on the ground and as he moved to open it, a final crack sounded and then it was quiet. Nodding to one another, KC zipped the bag open. A pair of brown eyes stared back at him. "Um, Alex? I think I know what it is."

"What?"

The thing in the backpack finally spoke. "Chim?"

_Warden Slowpoke's house..._

Luffy sighed, stopping in front of the warden's house. He'd visited this place once before and gave the guy his teeth back when he lost them. Was he okay? What lay behind that door? And what was that red stuff on the door and windows?! He ran to the front door and knelt beside it, noticing it was slightly opened. Dragging a finger through the red stuff, he confirmed that it was blood.

"What happened here?" he muttered. Standing up, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Warden Slowpoke? Are you in here? Hello?"

As he stepped further into the house, he heard a loud creak from behind him. Twirling around, he barely had time to scream as a baseball bat crashed into the side of his head. Collapsing on the floor, his baseball cap landed just inside the partly-opened door. Blood ran down his face from his scalp. _Ugh, that hurt...Who was that? And where's warden Slowpoke?_

A familiar face loomed into view. "Hey there, Luffy. Remember me?" It was Blazer and he was grinning like a maniac. "Don't think I forgot about what you did to me in Cerulean. I intend to get you back for that now, Luffy."

A groan came from across the room. Shifting a bit, he spotted the old warden lying in a corner. He was in a pool of blood, gagged and with his wrists bound. His eyes were closed and his face looked pained. _What happened to him? What did he do to him?!_

A foot nudged his head. "Hey, I'm talking to you. You better pay attention to me unless you want to end up like him. Hey!" He kicked Luffy's side, making him yelp. "I said I was talking to you, Snagger!"

Luffy coughed, blood running from the side of his mouth. "Wha...What do you...want with me?" he gasped.

"I told you," the redhead replied. "This is revenge for what you did to me and Blaziken in Cerulean." A single kick to the head knocked the raven-haired teen out. He pulled out his only Poke Ball and released his Blaziken. It growled, wrists flaring as it saw Luffy. "Hey, cool it! We have to bring him back alive so boss can interrogate him!"

Blazer glanced out the door and grinned as he saw Will and Janine run by, unaware of the danger they just passed. _Stupid Snaggers,_ he thought. _Mark sure picked some lousy companions. They didn't even bother to look for any clues of nearby criminal activity, like this. Who missed a bloody window, anyways?_ He returned to the center of the room, glaring down at Luffy. _How do you like me now, Luffy?_

As he moved to pick the teen up, a voice startled him. "You might want to stop right there unless you want to get seriously hurt, man."

He looked around wildly, searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?! Blaziken, find whoever that is and shut them up!"

"Umbreon, use Shadow Panic." A pair of green eyes glared at Blazer from the darkness.

Dark energy pulsed from the form of the black canine and Blaziken looked around, confused. "What the heck? Shadow Panic?!" Blazer cried. "But that Snagger brat already has a Shadow Umbreon! How can there be a second one?"

"Easy," A raven-haired boy around 15 years old with green eyes stepped out of the darkness of the warden's house. He was wearing a black shirt with flames on the front and back, black pants with flames running up the sides, and black tennis shoes with flames on the sides. "My Umbreon is the result of two Shadow Pokemon breeding. I hate you Shadow Pokemon trainers. My mission is to rid the world of these poor Pokemon that you've turned into battle machines." A Houndoom stood beside him, flames building up in its jaws.

"Who the heck are you?" Blazer demanded, fear appearing in his eyes.

"I am Jake. And you are dead!" the teen yelled.

Houndoom released the flames, filling the room with smoke and fire. The windows shattered and the building was alight. In moments, the whole house burst into flames. Jake, Houndoom, and Umbreon jumped out the window, an Arcanine following them. Luffy and Warden Slowpoke's limp bodies rested on the giant's back as they fled from the burning building.

Once they reached the safety of the trees, Jake noticed that his Arcanine was carrying something in its jaws. It was a baseball cap covered in blood spots. He sighed and glanced at the two unconscious people on his Fire-type's back. "I must've overdone it a little." He muttered. "Arcanine, drop them off in front of the Pokemon Center, but stay out of sight."

Arcanine nodded and in a flash, it was gone. Officer Jenny and her fellow police were already putting out the fire. _Did I get him?_ Jake wondered. _Is that Shadow Pokemon trainer dead? No, I have a feeling that he still lives. But how? Will I see him again?_ Then his Arcanine returned. It wouldn't be long before they noticed the duo in front of the Pokemon Center. He returned his three Pokemon and vanished into the forest. _More importantly, if that boy is who I think he is, will I ever encounter the Snaggers again? I guess only fate can tell._

_Safari Zone entrance..._

Ryan and Zack stood in front of the Cipher goon, already in the middle of a battle. The goon had messy brown hair with black tips and brown eyes. He was wearing a zebra-striped T-shirt under a black jean jacket, blue jeans, and brown cowboy boots. He had a Shadow Kecleon out in battle. It had a dark blue body with a red zigzag stripe going across its belly.

Ryan had his Yanmega out and Zack had his Pikachu. The duo had already come up with a plan and was just activating it. "Yanmega, Bug Buzz!" Ryan ordered.

The Bug-type started vibrating its wings at a fast speed, creating a damaging sound wave. Kecleon stepped backward but still held its ground. Using its ability, it became a Bug-type Pokemon. Yanmega flew away just in time for Pikachu to race past it, electricity crackling from its body. It crashed full-force into the Bug-type Kecleon with Volt Tackle, knocking it down and out.

"What the?! No way!" the goon yelled, running away like the others had.

Ryan tossed the Poke Ball, capturing the Shadow Pokemon. "Let's head for the gym, Zack." He suggested.

"Sure! I wonder if Will's okay." Zack said, following the older teen. "That was such a cool combo! We sure showed him!"

"Yeah, sure," Ryan nodded. _How can Will stand him? Oh well, I guess it's because they both act like this. Oh well..._

Pikachu jumped onto the blonde's shoulder while Ryan returned his Yanmega. "You know, I've always wondered this: why don't you talk?" Zack asked.

"I just don't like to," Ryan replied. "Talking a lot isn't my thing."

"Oh," Zack looked away. _He's so weird! But at least he's nice, unlike that Pokemon Champion girl. But why doesn't he talk much?_ "Sorry about asking. Is it a bad thing that made you stop talking?"

"I didn't stop talking," Ryan corrected. "I just grew quieter."

"Oh, okay..." Zack sighed. "There's the gym! Let's hurry up!"

As the green jacket-wearing blonde ran on ahead, Ryan called, "Wait up, Zack! I don't run fast!"

"See you at the gym then, slowpoke!" Zack laughed, running even faster. Suddenly, he saw the smoke and fire. "What happened here?!"

"Sorry, kids, but this area is off-limits right now." Officer Jenny informed. "A fire broke out in Warden Slowpoke's house and it burned down. How the fire started is unknown."

Then Ryan saw Luffy on a stretcher. "Luffy!" he cried.

"What happened to him?" Zack demanded.

"He and Warden Slowpoke were found unconscious in front of the Pokemon Center not long after the fire broke out." Officer Jenny replied. "Luffy has a slight concussion and minor cuts and burns. Warden Slowpoke has severe cuts and burns, and is currently in the emergency room of the Pokemon Center."

"Can we see Luffy? Please, he's our friend!" Zack asked.

"Well, I guess you could. But stay away from the firefighters, okay?" The police officer let the duo past and they ran toward their friend.

"Luffy, wake up," Ryan muttered, shaking his shoulder.

The raven-haired teen groaned, opening his eyes. "Ugh, what happened?" he muttered.

"We were about to ask you the same thing, Luffy." Zack said. "You and Warden Slowpoke were caught in a fire. What happened in there?"

"I...I..." Luffy thought hard, his head pounding from the collision with that bat. _Wait, a bat?!_ Then it hit him. "Blazer! He hit me from behind with a bat and said he was taking me hostage! Then he knocked me out! I don't know what happened after that, though."

"Blazer? Who's that?" Zack asked.

"A Cipher Gym Leader," Ryan answered. "I haven't met him but I've heard he's a Fire-type trainer."

"You got that right, Ryan." Luffy nodded. "Where are KC and the others?"

"Probably finishing the Cipher goons and headed for us. Don't worry, everything's going to be all right." Zack reassured. Hearing a yell, he looked over his shoulder. "Speaking of KC, here he comes with Alex. KC, over here!" He waved an arm, calling the raven-haired boy over.

KC fell to his knees by his older brother's side. "Big brother, what happened to you?!" he demanded.

"Blazer got me by surprise. Knocked me out cold and then blew up Warden Slowpoke's house." Luffy repeated, unaware of the true cause of the fire. "Are you okay? And what's that you're holding, Alex?"

"Oh, yeah!" KC plucked the thing out of Alex's arms and rested it on Luffy's chest. "Say hello to my new Chimchar, big brother!" he said, grinning.

"Chim!" the newborn Pokemon chirped.

"So, it hatched. When?" Luffy asked.

"Just a few minutes ago, Luffy. It scared us out of our skins when we heard the egg cracking in that dark hallway." Alex chuckled. "We thought someone was after us, but KC figured out that the egg hatched by pulling it out of his bag. It hatched right in KC's arms."

"Well, congratulations! You're a mommy now, KC!" Zack laughed.

"Daddy, stupid. Do I look like a woman to you?" KC asked, glaring at the blonde.

"Maybe," Ryan muttered. KC glared at him with a 'what did you say?' glare. Ryan quickly responded with, "Nothing!"

"Yeah, it better be nothing." The young raven-haired boy grumbled. "Hey, here comes Janine and Will! Over here, guys!"

"We saw the fire and decided to check it out." Will panted. "Luffy, what happened to you."

"It was a Cipher Gym Leader, Will." Alex replied.

"I hope dad and the others are okay in the gym." Janine muttered, resting a hand on her chest. "With the way things are going out here, I hope they are having better luck."

"Yeah, I have to agree." Luffy nodded. "Man, Mark's gonna _kill_ me when he sees me like this! I hope I can keep traveling with you guys. I don't want to miss out on the Cipher butt-kicking action!"

"Don't worry," Ryan said quietly. "Officer Jenny said your wounds were minor,"

"Aside from your concussion!" Zack added.

"Crud!" Luffy growled.

As the six other kids chattered away about everything, Ryan looked toward the gym. _Mark...everyone...please be okay. We'll wait here for you, so you better come back. Please be okay...please!_

_Fuchsia City Gym, main room..._

Sam sighed. "Riolu, Nosepass, get ready." He ordered. The two Shadow Pokemon nodded, preparing to fight.

"Who should attack first?" Roen asked.

"I will. Kurisutaru and I will try to immobilize Nosepass. You guys attack afterward." Ookami volunteered. "Is that okay?"

"Sure. I'll follow up with Chimchar and see what happens then." Roen agreed.

"Let's do this then." Mark smirked. "Sam, you're going down!"

"I'll believe it when I see it." Sam countered.

"Kurisutaru, use Ice Fang and follow up with Avalanche!" Ookami ordered.

"Glace!" the Glaceon nodded, charging toward the Rock-type. Her fangs started glowing silver and frost blew from her mouth with each breath. She sped up and prepared to fire when Riolu charged for her. "Glaceon!"

"Riolu, use Shadow Palm!" Sam ordered.

Just as it drew back its paw to fire, a flash of dark blue flew past Kurisutaru and slammed into Riolu, sending it flying backward. The puppy Pokemon twisted around and landed on its feet, growling. Then it saw its assailant: Dragonair! "Keep attacking that Nosepass, Glaceon. Dragonair will cover for you!" Leena called.

Kurisutaru nodded and ran faster. Then she leaped, crunching down on the top of its stone head. As Nosepass flailed its arms in an attempt to throw her off, ice started freezing its body solid. Then the light blue fox jumped away and a mountain of snow crashed down on top of Nosepass, immobilizing it. Ookami cheered while Kurisutaru nuzzled her trainer's left leg.

"Great job!" Koga shouted. Then a loud cry caught his attention. "Venomoth! Dragonair!"

"Oh no!" Mark groaned.

Riolu had used Shadow Palm on both Pokemon, throwing them across the room. Dragonair got back up, shaking but Venomoth stayed down, barely conscious. Dragonair opened her mouth and unleashed a Hyper Beam, only to have Riolu dodge it. Koga used a Super Potion on Venomoth, recovering its lost health. Flying up, it dove down upon Riolu and flapped its wings hard. Riolu barked, trying to reach it but failing. Then Venomoth flew away, satisfied.

"Chimchar, use Fire Spin on that snow pile!" Roen ordered.

The snow melted instantly and Nosepass howled, barely surviving the attack. It unleashed a Shadow Slide, nearly crushing Sparks and Chimchar under it if Dragonair hadn't come to their rescue. She Hyper Beamed the rocks away. Then Kurisutaru used Ice Beam, weakening it enough so that Mark could catch it. Now only Riolu was left standing.

"Well, he's not a Shadow Pokemon but he'll have to do." Sam grumbled. "Go, Machop!"

The Fighting-type popped out, prepared to battle. Riolu was stumbling around a bit, poisoned by Venomoth's attack earlier. Ignoring its ill partner, Machop charged and crashed into Chimchar, throwing it into Kurisutaru and sending both down. The duo struggled to their feet but weren't fast enough. Machop went charging at Ookami!

"Ookami, run away!" Roen yelled.

One of the Poke Balls on her belt twitched and popped open. Yaiba the Sceptile had come out to defend his trainer! The blade on his arm started glowing and he charged, defeating the Machop with a single Leaf Blade. Jumping backwards, he landed beside his owner and nodded. "Scep,"

"Wow! Way to go, Yaiba!" Ookami cried.

Kurisutaru limped beside the brunette and smiled at her teammate. Chimchar jumped back into front of Roen, ready to keep going. Sparks looked at the Riolu and smiled. Mark nodded. "Sparks, use Thunderbolt on Riolu! Take him down!" he yelled. Sparks unleashed as much electricity as he could and shocked Riolu, knocking it out. The green-haired Snagger tossed the Snag Ball and caught it, defeating Sam.

"N-no way. There's no way I lost again!" Sam cried.

"We win, you lose!" Leena barked. "Now move your sorry butt so we can beat that guy too!"

Sam obediently moved, racing out the door to escape. Martin sighed, stepping forward. "Good help is so hard to find these days, isn't it?" he asked. "I guess it's time to test my skills again the best, you Snaggers. Even the two tagalongs might prove to be worthy opponents with their Pokemon skills. How amazing this battle will be."

"Just shut it and let's do this!" Leena shouted.

"Hey, cool it!" Mark snapped. "What's with you today?"

"What? I'm just excited to finally be fighting against a Cipher Gym Leader." The raven-haired girl replied, frowning. "Aren't you excited?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"I would be if this guy was the last one but he's not, so no." Mark said. "The only excitement I get is when I beat these guys, free these towns, and capture these Shadow Pokemon."

"You are _so_ not fun, Mark." Leena replied, crossing her arms. "Loosen up and have fun! These battles only happen once!"

"I wish that was so but I have a feeling that it won't be once." Roen muttered. Ookami nodded.

"Well, Koga," Martin said, attracting the Gym Leader's attention. "Are you here for Round 2 of our little battle?"

"Indeed I am. And this time, I _will_ have my gym returned to me." Koga vowed. "This time, _you_ will be the one leaving, not I. And you will never return here again after this!"

"_If_ you can beat me this time, Koga. I _will_ prove that I am the best Poison-type trainer here, not you!" the violet-haired teen spat. "Shadow Muk, time to show your true worth!"

The giant blob of black goo popped out, red eyes glaring as it opened its mouth. Shadow Muk roared in its raspy voice, daring anything to get too close. Suddenly, it turned and started gnawing on Martin's leg! "No, not me! Get them, you pile of stinking filth! Get them, them!" He pointed wildly at the Snaggers, kicking his Pokemon off. "I knew bringing this insolent Pokemon was a terrible idea."

Muk blinked and launched itself forward, attacking. The first thing it did was catch up to Sparks and grab him, shoving the tiny Pokemon in its mouth. Ookami screamed, covering her eyes. Suddenly, electricity exploded from inside the Poison-type and Sparks was vomited out. "Pika..." the Pikachu groaned in disgust, glaring at the purple liquid on his fur.

"Disgusting!" Roen said, covering his mouth.

"I'm so gonna be sick after this," Leena muttered.

"Mark, now what? All that thing is doing is eating everything in sight!" Ookami whimpered.

"We defeat it, that's what." Koga replied. "If Dragonair can use Hyper Beam, that will give you and Roen a chance to take it out."

"Okay, if you say so." Mark said, nodding. "Leena, we have a plan!"

"I overheard it already, Mark!" Leena snapped. "Dragonair, use Hyper Beam on that Muk!"

"Draaaaaaagonair!" the Dragon-type cried, unleashing the blast of super-heated energy. Muk roared as it slid backward, the force of the attack damaging it. Kurisutaru and Chimchar both attacked with Ice Beam and Fire Spin.

"Muk, use Sludge Bomb on those brats!" Martin commanded.

Opening its mouth, a bunch of purple sludge balls shot out. Chimchar, Yaiba, Venomoth, Sparks, and Dragonair were all hit with the poisonous attack. And it wasn't just Pokemon that got hit by it. Roen got hit too, curling into a ball on the ground and coughing. Ookami fell by his side, trying to get it off. "Roen! Guys, help!"

"Koga, what do we do?" Mark demanded.

Before he could answer, Martin piped up. "There's nothing you can do, really. Just try to finish me sooner and get him to the Pokemon Center for treatment. Other than that, he's as good as done for."

"You shut up!" Leena yelled. "Ookami, freeze that mud pile!"

"O-okay," the brunette nodded. "Kurisutaru, use Ice Beam!"

The Glaceon was the only Pokemon to survive the attack without being poisoned. She released a blast of ice that crashed into Muk, causing plenty of damage. It was barely hanging by a thread now. Another Hyper Beam did it in but Martin returned it before it could be caught.

_So, boss wasn't kidding. These kids really are strong. But they still are kids, so it's not impossible to beat them. Mist did it once. If he can, then I definitely can!_ "Shadow Spinarak, your turn!" Martin called.

The black spider with gray marking, red and gray legs, and glowing red eyes came out next. Instantly it climbed up a wall and vanished into the rafters. As the Snaggers searched for it, the Bug-type silently spun its web on the ceiling. Then it moved to the walls, moving quickly so that it couldn't be spotted easily. As it scurried along the floor, it was forced to expose itself in order to complete its task.

Leena was the first to spot it. "Guys, there it is!" Dragonair tried to hit it but it dodged, leaving and invisible spider's web on the floor. Once it was finished, it barely dodged a Fire Spin from Chimchar as it went back to its trainer.

"What the heck was it doing?" Mark wondered.

"Kurisutaru, freeze that bug!" Ookami ordered.

The Ice-type nodded and stepped forward, only to be pulled backward by something attached to her back paw. Turning, her eyes widened as she saw sticky white threads tied around her paw. "Glace glace!" she cried.

"What's wrong with your Glaceon?" Leena asked.

"I don't know. I'll check." As the brunette made a move to head for her Glaceon, Koga held out an arm.

"Nobody move. It took me a minute but I've figured out your plan, gym stealer." Koga said. "Your Spinarak has placed webs on every available surface to try and trap us. I'm afraid it won't work. If you look down, you can clearly see the white threads."

"Holy!" Leena muttered. "Never would have seen that coming."

"If Chimchar can burn these threads, we can attack without worry." Koga suggested. Chimchar nodded and unleashed another Fire Spin, burning the threads.

"I don't think so, Koga!" Martin barked. "Spinarak, use Poison Sting to knock that monkey out!"

As the black needles shot at Chimchar, an electric shot knocked them away. Spinarak screeched as a sharp blade slashed it, sending it flying into the opposite wall. Yaiba had struck while Martin had been distracted. Martin smirked and backed up to a wall, pressing a button. "Everyone, hang on!" Koga shouted, seeing the movement.

The floor instantly tilted, going sideways. Ookami, Mark, and the ill Roen all tumbled to a nearby wall, getting trapped in the webbing that covered it. Most of the Pokemon stood their ground, including Koga and Leena. Martin simply used the webs to cling to the far wall, shifting his feet to match that of the tilted floor. His plan had almost worked.

The wounded Spinarak lay close to Mark, allowing him to capture it. When he tried to stand up, his back was stuck to the wall. He wiggled out of his jacket and stood up, leaving it hanging on the wall. After checking Ookami and Roen, he climbed the tilted floor using the remaining threads to keep his grip. "We're not done yet, Martin!" he yelled.

"Huh?!" Martin stared in surprise. _Incredible. Even with poisoned Pokemon, an ill friend, and a titled floor, that Snagger doesn't give up. No wonder boss thinks they're such a threat._ "Well, this battle is coming to a close! Shadow Nidorino, come out and finish this!"

The dark purple spiky Pokemon popped out, its sharp horn glittering. It growled, lowering its head to point its horn at Mark. Then it charged, intending on killing him. Just as it was a few feet from him, Dragonair dove in and clashed horns with Nidorino, throwing it backward. Jumping back up, it charged again and dodged a Hyper Beam. Nidorino jumped and bit Dragonair, making her cry out in pain. Venomoth crashed into it, throwing the Poison-type off and Sparks shocked it. Shaking both attacks off, Nidorino stood up again.

"Sparks, use Volt Tackle!" Mark shouted.

As Nidorino made a move to attack, Kurisutaru used Ice Beam to freeze its feet to the ground. Sparks charged at it, electricity crackling around his body. Nidorino bellowed, using its horn to break out. But as it looked up, Sparks crashed into it and sent it crashing into the wall behind Martin. The Poison-type had flown just inches from Martin's shoulder, scaring the violet-haired teen.

_...What just happened? There's no way they could have beaten me._ Martin just stayed there in shock. He shook the thought out of his head, frowning. _I guess I lose. They truly are a tough group, these Snaggers._

"We win!" Ookami cried.

"Good for us." Roen groaned.

"Roen, are you okay?" Leena asked.

"Yeah, just feeling really sick."

"Well, it seems I am defeated." Martin said, shrugging. "Here is my badge. And as an extra reward, take this as well." He held out his hand, containing the Blade Badge and a key shaped into a jagged C at the handle. "That key will be very useful to you in the future, Snaggers."

Once he went out the door, Mark placed the badge in his pocket and looked at the key. "Where do you guys think this goes?"

"Maybe, like that teleportation device Florence gave you, this will help us get into one of Cipher's bases." Roen suggested. "Or it could be used to lure us into a trap. Either one is possible, Mark."

"I think we shouldn't use it until we're sure what it unlocks." Ookami said. "It could get us in trouble."

"So, is he helping us?" Leena asked. "Or is he tricking us with this key?"

"I don't care. I'm going to the Pokemon Center." Roen grumbled, shakily standing up. Ookami and Mark got on either side of the blue-haired teen, putting his arms around their shoulders. Koga and Leena led the way while the trio followed after. When they left the gym, Officer Jenny brought a stretcher for Roen. "See you later." Roen waved as they took him away.

When the four returned to the Pokemon Center, Koga and Janine left to clean up their gym while the Snaggers talked. Mark noticed that Luffy was gone and it became apparent that they'd be staying here for a few more days. With two Snaggers down for the moment, at least they had the time to relax and not worry about an upcoming Cipher Gym battle.

_Later that night..._

Mark sighed, smiling as he entered Luffy's hospital room. The older boy had bandages around his head and covering his burns. All of their Pokemon had been cured of poisoning and Roen was currently asleep after his treatment. All in all, everything was okay now. "Hey, are you okay, Luffy?" the green-haired Snagger asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Luffy chuckled. "My head is still pounding but I'm fine. The burns don't even hurt anymore. How's Roen?"

"Asleep," Mark replied. "Nurse Joy said that he'd make a full recovery. You will, too. But we might have to stay here for another day or two, just to be sure."

"Fine by me," the raven-haired teen said. "So, what next?"

"Who knows?"

_On the island that houses Cipher, medical ward..._

Sometime later, Molt Awoke and turned to Freeze. "Um, bro? Are you awake?"

"I am now." The blue-haired boy grumbled. "What is it, Molt? You know I'm still a bit tired." His injuries were healing nicely and they'd be able to leave the medical ward soon.

Molt sighed. He was very nervous. "I have a question about our plan. You see..." He gulped, stopping for a second.

"What is it, Molt?" Freeze growled, sitting up. "Spit it out already!"

"I don't think learning Mimzy's style of battling will be enough to beat her!" the redhead blurted out.

"Yeah, I know that already. So what?"

"Well, we need to get our Pokemon stronger. Right?" Molt asked.

"Stop wasting time and tell me what you're on about!" Freeze snapped.

"I think we should ask someone to train us." Molt suggested.

"Well, who do you have in mind, Molt?"

"Well, Blazer." Molt admitted. "He's really smart when it comes to Fire-types and I'm, well..."

"Outta practice?" Freeze asked. He shook his head. "Molt, I don't think Blazer would waste his time on us. He's busy and besides, you're a coward. He hates cowards."

Molt's face turned red in anger. "Hey, I could still try to ask him. Who knows, he might say yes!"

"I highly doubt he will." Freeze grumbled, lying back down. "You have really stupid ideas, Molt. That's why I think of the plans, not you. Besides, the thought of Blazer training you seems pretty impossible. Now go back to sleep. Leave the thinking to me and stop trying to think of stupid ideas, Molt." He rolled over and fell asleep.

Molt sighed, looking out the window at the cloudy sky. "It's not stupid. At least, I don't think so."

Suddenly, there was yelling just outside the door. Prof. Pine stepped in, followed close behind by Terra and some violet-haired guy. Limping between them, yelling and cursing, was Blazer. "Darn it, lemme go! I'll get that darn Snagger back for this, I swear! He won't get away with this!" the redhead yelled angrily. He was covered in bad burns and cuts.

"You're lucky that you have physical wounds, Blazer." The spiky violet-haired teen snapped, shoving the redhead on a nearby bed. "I got my butt kicked by five Snaggers and you only lost to one outsider. You're the luckiest of us."

"Shut up, Martin!" Blazer yelled, hissing as Prof. Pine applied some peroxide to some of his large cuts. "You know better than I do that I hate losing. This is the second time I've ever lost and it wasn't even in a Pokemon battle! Ow, that freakin' hurt!"

"Well, calm down and I might not hit your burns." Pine replied. "Terra, Martin, you may leave now."

"I have to report to the boss about my failure." Martin muttered. He and Terra left, shutting the door behind them.

"What happened, Blazer?" Molt asked.

"None of your darn business, brat!" he shouted, glaring at Molt. Then he blinked and calmed down. "It's you again. What are you doing in here?"

"My brother got hurt and I fainted." Molt admitted awkwardly.

"That sucks." Blazer grunted, looking away. "I got caught in an explosion while trying to capture one of the Snaggers. Some outsider named Jake did it and he had a Shadow Umbreon that was made through breeding. Kinda creepy, right?"

"Yeah, really creepy." When Molt glanced at his sleeping twin, he smirked. "Hey, Blazer? Are you looking to train any apprentices?"

"No, why?"

Molt hung his head sadly. "I was hoping you'd train me to get stronger. I'm outta practice and I want to beat...a certain someone, but I can't the way I am now." He looked up. "Please, Blazer! You've gotta train me!"

"Sorry but I don't train cowards." _Now to see if he has what it takes,_ Blazer thought.

That got him mad. "I'm not a coward and I'll prove it! Give me a task, anything, and I'll do it! I'll walk on broken glass barefoot or walk into a raging fire! I'll do anything to get strong no matter how tough it is! I'll do anything you say, I promise! Just please train me! Please!"

Blazer looked surprised at first, only to smirk a few seconds later. _Bingo!_ "You'll do anything? Well, in that case, I'll reconsider not having an apprentice. But I gotta warn you, I'm no softie. You do anything without my say-so, you're gonna pay. Training's gonna be fierce and I'm not gonna baby you if things get tough. Either you buck up and keep going or break down and leave. Your choice, which do you choose?"

"Buck up and keep going!"

"Well then, welcome to Training 101 with Mr. Blazer." Blazer chuckled. After we both get out of here, training starts at 6 am. Be there or pay. Deal?"

"Yes, sir!" Molt saluted, making Blazer laugh. _I knew I could do it. See, Freeze, it wasn't stupid. I did it. I will get stronger._

Prof. Pine sighed, capping the peroxide and putting it, along with the extra bandages, away. "There, you're good. Get a good night's rest, Blazer. Good night." He switched the lights off and left.

Molt smiled as he fell asleep. Blazer, on the other hand, was plotting his revenge against both Luffy and that outsider known as Jake. _I'll get you both for this. If it's the last thing I ever do, I'll ensure that you both pay with your lives. I promise!_

_Deep in the Viridian Forest..._

Jake touched down, grateful to his Murkrow for knowing the move Fly. Flying from place to place was easier than walking everywhere. His green eyes scanned the clearing, looking for anything suspicious. So far so good, but one can never be too cautious when they're being chased by an evil organization bent on world domination. Better safe than sorry, he always said.

Dubbing it a safe refuge for the night, he released his Pokemon and set up camp. He didn't have many belongings, always wanting to travel as light as possible in case he needed to move somewhere else quickly. Tents were too bulky so he settled for just placing his sleeping bag on the ground and praying that it didn't rain that night.

Suddenly, a low growled echoed through the cloudy sky. Thunder, followed by a flash of lightning. A drop of water landed on his forehead, alerting him to the storm. "Just great," he groaned, standing up and picking up his sleeping bag. "It just _has_ to rain today. Nice," He always hated the rain. He just never really liked getting wet in general. It just meant being cold and he hated being cold.

Using Murkrow, he flew to Viridian City and rented a room in the Pokemon Center there. After settling himself down a bit, he watched the rain beat softly against the windows. "I hope those Snaggers are okay," he muttered, resting a hand on the window. He crawled into bed and fell asleep, his dreams being more restless than ever. Then again, he rarely had good dreams to begin with.

_Saffron City, apartment room 362..._

A young girl, around 17 years old, was humming while brushing her wet hair before bed. She had long brown hair and crystal blue eyes. Once through with her hair, the teen returned to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed with her five Pokemon. "Today was so much fun, wasn't it?" she asked. "I've heard that there's a fair going on soon. Maybe we should go there?"

"Cele!" a pink Celebi cheered, flying around happily. A Rapidash, curled up beside the bed, nodded silently. A Gallade, leaning against the wall near her door, nodded. "Prinplup plup!" Her Prinplup chirped, waving its wings happily.

The girl giggled and scooped up her Raichu, which had fallen asleep during her shower. "Hey, what do you think? Or do you not care?" she asked.

"Rai rai?"

"Typical Raichu, acting just like my old boyfriend." The girl grumbled, putting Raichu down. She reached over and picked up a framed photo of her and a raven-haired boy wearing a baseball cap. Standing between them was a younger raven-haired boy holding a sleeping Pichu. "I still remember when I gave KC that Pichu. It's probably evolved right now. I wonder if Luffy still misses me. If not, I'll strangle him."

Sighing, she climbed under the covered and flipped the light switch off. "Night everybody, see you in the morning."

A single shaft of moonlight landed on the picture, illuminating the words written at the bottom left-hand corner. It said _I love you, Krystal! –Luffy_ in black felt-tip pen.

_Spear Pillar, Sinnoh region..._

"Keep searching! They have to be here somewhere!" a Cipher goon yelled.

"What if they knew we were coming and left already? What's the point then?" another asked.

"Just keep searching and we'll figure it out then!" a third barked.

Cipher was searching for Dialga and Palkia, rumored to appear in Spear Pillar from time to time. So far, they were having no luck in finding them. The duo was proving quite elusive and many accidents had already occurred, mainly goons being sucked into pools of darkness. Many claimed Giratina was here but the officers refused to believe it. Giratina would never ally itself with Dialga or Palkia, never.

Another scream and yet another goon was pulled into a pool of darkness. Nobody ever noticed the glowing red eyes looking out from behind a nearby pillar. After a while, three more goons vanished and the rest fled, leaving only the two officers who refused to give up. "There has to be an explainable reason for this!" one officer growled. He was a bit larger than his companion.

"I completely agreed." The other nodded, pushing up his glasses. "What reason would Giratina have to attack us? We have no way of attacking it yet, so why bother us?"

"Who the bloody Arceus knows?"

Suddenly, a loud roar tore through the room. Both officers were thrown backwards by the force of it. Looking up, Dialga loomed over them like a nightmare. It roared again. "You're mine!" the glasses-wearing officer cried, pulling out a Master Ball. A blade of purple energy shot out from their right, tearing the ground open and knocking the Master Ball out of his hand.

"Look out!" yelled the other officer.

The glasses-wearing officer looked up from his spot against a pillar. Palkia stood over him, roaring in anger. He screamed, scrambling away towards his comrade. "This was a bad idea!" he cried.

"I agree!" his larger companion said. A pool of darkness opened beneath them and they fell, screaming, into it.

Palkia and Dialga looked over to see Giratina in its Another Form stepping out from behind the pillars. After thanking it for its help, Giratina vanished back into its reverse world. The two lords of Time and Space left to return to their dimensions. But they knew that more men would appear, like always. As long as those men existed, they would never truly be safe anywhere.

**Next Chapter:** The Big Adventure

"Wow, this place is so big!" KC cried, looking around the fair. "I can't believe they had it here of all places!"

"Well, having a fair placed on a route is pretty good thinking." Leena replied. "Passing Pokemon trainer can't resist having a bit of fun on their travels. This little corner on Route 14 is perfect since it attracts trainers from the big cities."

"We should probably split up in case there are Cipher Peons here." Mark suggested.

"Sure," Alex nodded.

Once the group had split into five groups of two, they went their separate ways. Luffy and Mark were wandering near the Ferris wheel when the older boy brought up Alex. "You do know about KC loving Alex, right?"

"Yeah, so? I'm not getting involved in their affairs." Mark said. "If Alex likes KC, she'll show him when she feels like it. If not, he's outta luck."

"That's mean!"

"Luffy, is that you?" a voice asked. Turning around, he came face to face with a familiar brown-haired girl. "Luffy, it's me!"

"I know, I know! It's just, I thought..." Luffy smiled and turned to Mark. "Hey, Mark! This is my old girlfriend, Krystal."

--

I'm so sorry for updating this so late! I wanted to put it up on the day I first started this story a year ago, the 25th, but I was too busy to finish it until now! I'm so sorry! I hope you enjoyed it anyways!

Giratina has two forms, just in case you don't know. The dragon-like form we usually see it as is Another Form while its floating centipede-like form is Origin Form. Just thought in case you didn't know the difference, I'd put it here.

After the battle ended, I got lazy and put in just anything that popped into my head. I had trouble thinking of what Giratina, Dialga, and Palkia would do but this just came to me. Zapdos can't be the only legendary with a POV on the Cipher situation! Also, Luffy's old girlfriend pops up for the first time since her mention during the Mist battle. And I had to grant Molt's training wish, so there you go!

If anyone has been visiting my profile recently, you probably noticed the ever-growing list of future stories that I have written or partially-written. If anyone wants me to put up the first chapter of any of those stories so you can check them out, just say so and I will. But I will update those stories when I get the chance. This story and my PMD2 stories are my main ones that I'll pay the most attention to.

Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! I hope this battle wasn't as short as the last one. I tried to lengthen it but I had trouble thinking of what would happen. I pray you enjoyed it nonetheless. School's coming in less than a week so updates might comes a bit lesser than usual but I promise I will update no matter what! Please review!


	28. Chapter 28: The Big Adventure

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! School has officially started now but my inspiration is just growing more and more. I have over 300 pages dedicated to this story now, so hooray for me! The main part of this story, the fair, shall be given proper credit to the original creator of the idea, KCSonic113.

I'm so sorry that this is late! Please forgive me! I had everything planned out but couldn't find time to write it all down because of homework overload. Plus, I've been working on another story with my friends called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 3: Rangers of Space and the Elements. It's like a sequel to PMD2 but with Ranger Teams and such. I might post the first chapter here once we have it totally planned out. But that won't be for a long while.

I'm glad you all love the story so far. Also, I'll be closing the poll soon so hurry up and vote if you haven't already. It seems apparent that the group will be splitting up after all until they all reach Hoenn. I hope to make Mark and the others reach the Indigo League before next year if possible. Thanks for the reviews! Onto the story!

Chapter 28: The Big Adventure

Three days had passed in peace since the battle against Cipher Gym Leader Martin. Roen and Luffy were back to wandering around with Mark and the group, preparing for their leave toward Route 15. Janine and Koga had thanked the group for their assistance, promising to repay the favor one day. During those three days, Mark kept trying to figure out the Data ROM, the Teleportation Device, and the Cipher Key. All three were important items but were shrouded in mystery.

Another message had come from Prof. Oak the previous day, reporting that the Legendary dogs had been captured by Cipher and that Cipher's next target was probably Zapdos or Celebi. It had been confirmed by police officials that Zapdos was residing in the Power Plant and was being heavily guarded to prevent Cipher from capturing the Electric-type bird.

Finally, it was time for the group to leave Fuchsia behind. "Thanks, Koga and Janine. We couldn't have beaten Martin and his goons without you two." Mark said.

"No, thank you." Koga disagreed. "I never would've won my gym back alone."

"Well, we're glad to help!" Will replied, folding his arms behind his head. "And thanks for helping me with Drapion! I think I might be able to handle him better now."

"I hope so, Will!" Janine giggled. "Or else all that fighting would've been for nothing!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Will agreed.

"Hey, are we going or not?!" Alex demanded.

"Calm down! Sheesh, someone's in a hurry." Mark muttered.

"Go ahead, Mark. I think you should be moving along now." Koga suggested. "You have other gyms to save now. We'll be fine from here."

"I hope so!" Luffy piped up, rubbing his forehead. "We're off to beat another Cipher Gym Leader!"

"Hooray!" Zack cried.

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Leena barked. "We don't have all day!"

"We're coming, Leena!" Ookami said.

"See you, Koga!" Mark called. As the ten Snaggers headed down the beginning of Route 15, a familiar face appeared. "Ayame!"

"Thank you for helping my brother win his gym back." Ayame said, bowing her head. "For that, I am eternally grateful. Fuchsia shall never fall to the likes of Cipher ever again, I swear it!"

"Sure, Ayame. Take care, okay?" the green-haired Snagger asked.

"Of course. Good luck!" With that, the ninja woman vanished.

The group continued on, going through the lookout station and walking down the long path. Once they left the lookout station, they encountered an aide of Prof. Oak's. The man told them of how Oak was doing and gave them an Exp. Share as a token of his gratitude. Wishing them luck, the aide vanished into the lookout station. As they neared the end of Route 15, they saw something just on the corner that connected Routes 14 and 15.

"What is that?" KC asked.

"It looks like...a carnival?" Ryan muttered.

"Hey, I know this place! It must be the Annual Summer Pokemon Carnival!" Leena explained. "It's a huge fair that happens once a year in the middle of summer. There are rides, games, prizes, races, battles, and fun!"

"Have you been here before, Leena?" Roen asked.

"Yeah, as a little girl," Leena nodded. "I used to come here every year as a kid. But that all ended a few years ago when..." Shaking her head, she looked at the entrance. "Anyways, it's for free. Let's have some fun before we move on, Mark!"

"Well..." Mark started.

"Come on, Mark!" Zack whined. "We've been fighting really hard since Celadon! Let's have some fun for once!"

"Please?" Alex added.

Shrugging, he sighed. "Fine, I give." Mark groaned. "Let's go in and check it out. We might find some Cipher goons here."

"Hooray! Thanks, Mark!" KC cheered.

Running inside, the ten Snaggers looked around in awe. It was gigantic and filled with people, trainers and civilians alike. The rides were all based on a particular Pokemon and there were even battle arenas. It was the perfect place for a trainer to let loose and have fun after a long journey. But there could be Cipher goons lurking around here. It would be harder to catch the Shadow Pokemon with so many people around.

"Wow, this place is so big!" KC cried, looking around the fair. "I can't believe they had it here of all places!"

"Well, having a fair placed on a route is pretty good thinking." Leena replied. "Passing Pokemon trainers can't resist having a bit of fun on their travels. This little corner on Route 14 is perfect since it attracts trainers from the big cities."

"We should probably split up in case there are Cipher Peons here." Mark suggested.

"Sure," Alex nodded.

Once the group had split into five groups of two, they went their separate ways. Luffy and Mark were wandering near the Ferris wheel when the older boy brought up Alex. "You do know about KC loving Alex, right?"

"Yeah, so? I'm not getting involved in their affairs." Mark said. "If Alex likes KC, she'll show him when she feels like it. If not, he's outta luck."

"That's mean!"

"Luffy, is that you?" a voice asked. Turning around, he came face to face with a familiar brown-haired girl. "Luffy, it's me!"

"I know, I know! It's just, I thought..." Luffy smiled and turned to Mark. "Hey, Mark! This is my old girlfriend, Krystal."

"Oh, hi. I'm Mark Hunter, a good friend of Luffy's." Mark introduced himself, shaking her hand. "So, are you the one that Luffy insulted about cooking?"

"The one and only," Krystal nodded.

"Hey!" Luffy cried.

"Oh, shut it, you!" the brunette hissed. Turning, she pointed to the Ferris wheel. "Hey, you want to go on that ride with me, Mark?" she asked. "I'm sure it would be fun."

"Uh, sure. Why not?" Mark agreed. "Whoa!"

Krystal dragged him by the arm toward the Swampert-based Ferris wheel. After finding an open seat and strapping themselves in, Krystal smiled. "So, do you know KC too?"

"Yeah, they're both traveling with me on my Pokemon journey. We have a lot of friends and some pretty awesome adventures, to tell you the truth." Mark admitted. "We've been a lot of Gym Leaders lately and we just came from Fuchsia City. Where'd you come from?"

"Saffron City," Krystal answered. She grabbed his hand, tensing. "Here we go!" The Ferris wheel jerked into motion, moving in a fast circle. She screamed, her hair flying in all directions as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Wahoo!"

"Yahoo!" Mark cried, grinning like an idiot as they spun faster and faster. After a minute, it went into reverse and made the riders scream louder. "I love this thing!"

"I do too!" Krystal shouted above the screams. After a few minutes, the ride slowed to a stop and the dizzy duo stepped off. Krystal giggled, wobbling slightly as she walked. "That was so much fun. I haven't been here in a long time."

"I've never been here at all." Mark admitted, stumbling backward and nearly falling.

Luffy held out his arms and caught his dizzy friend. "Geez, man! Quit acting like you're drunk!" the raven-haired boy joked. "I've never gotten that dizzy from a Ferris wheel before."

"You try and ride it then!" Krystal dared, leaning against the gate surrounding the line to the Ferris wheel. "I'm getting a bite to eat. You coming, Mark?"

"Uh, sure. I'm glad I didn't eat before we went on that thing!" the green-haired Snagger laughed.

Feeling left out, Luffy followed. "Krystal, are you mad at me or something? You've been ignoring me." He asked.

"Mad? Oh no, I'm not mad," The brunette said sarcastically. "I'm FURIOUS!!"

"Eep!" Luffy ducked behind a pole. "You're really scary when you're mad, you know."

"Good!" she spat. Grabbing Mark's wrist, she stomped off toward the food court. "Mark and I are going to go eat. Don't follow us!"

"But—"

"Luffy, look for some Shadow Pokemon and check up on KC!" Mark called as he was dragged into a crowd. "We'll meet later, okay?"

Watching as the pair vanished, Luffy sighed and walked away. "Man, Krystal's peeved." He started walking toward the bumper cars, catching a glimpse of Zack's green jeans. As he kept walking, he never saw a young 10 year old trailing after him.

"I've finally found one of you..." the boy muttered. It was Brad! "Maybe now I'll finally find out who you are, black-haired boy." He continued to follow, staying out of sight.

Luffy groaned upon reaching the bumper cars. "I must've just missed them." Luffy looked around, hoping to see Will or Zack. Nothing. "I swear I saw them. I must've imagined it." His stomach growled. "Hahaha! I guess I have to eat too! Better avoid Krystal for now. Maybe I'll see KC and Alex. I wonder how their date is..."

As he started toward the food court, a loud crash sounded to his right. Turning quickly, he saw two people attacking a young blonde boy. He ran toward them just as they pulled out their Poke Balls for a fight. "Hey, stop that!" he shouted, grabbing Infernape's Poke Ball.

Brad coughed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Glaring at the two Cipher goons, he slowly stood up from the wreckage of the popcorn stand. "What do you two think you're doing?!" he hissed. "I'm one of you! Agent 99 of Cipher, you idiots!"

"What do we care?" a woman with long green hair asked.

"Yeah, so what? If we beat a higher rank, we'll get promoted to your level. So we're here to take you out!" a big guy with short blonde hair chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Ready, Amelia?"

"Right on, Brutus!" Amelia nodded.

"Then let's—"

"Hey, stop that!" a voice shouted.

Turning, the goons spotted the Snagger and freaked. "Brutus, we have to get out of here! We stand no chance against a Snagger! Run, Brutus! Run!" The duo fled, leaving the bruised and aching Brad behind.

As Brad fell to his knees in pain, Luffy reached him and noticed the goons' sudden departure. "Man, those guys run fast." Kneeling down, he rested a hand on Brad's shoulder. "Hey, kid. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm..." Looking up, he stared right into the face of the one he had been tracking. "...fine." _I can't believe this! Maybe those goons weren't in the way after all. They may have actually helped me a lot just now._ "Thanks,"

"No problem, kid!" Luffy grinned. "You need any help? Where are your parents?"

"My...parents?" _I have none,_ Brad thought sadly. "I'm a Pokemon trainer, actually. My name's Bradley, but call me Brad. Who are you?"

"Luffy's the name, Pokemon training's my game too."

"Cool!" Brad staggered to his feet, Luffy helping him up. "Can I just...I dunno, wander around with you for now? I lost track of my friends but we said we'd meet in a few hours by the back entrance at Route 14."

"Sure, why not? My friends split up and my girlfriend ditched me to drag my best friend away from me." Luffy admitted. "Where do you want to go?" Before Brad could answer, both of their stomachs growled. "I guess that settles it. To the food court!"

"Finally I get to eat some good food!"

"Wait until you taste my cooking, Brad. It's the absolute best! Everyone in my group says so." Luffy boasted. "Even the Pokemon love my cooking!"

"Really? That's neat. My friend...Matt! Yeah, Matt sucks at cooking. Even...Rose gets sick and she loves food! He's the only one that can make her puke." Brad said. "So none of us get to eat good food often."

"That sucks. Everyone should have a good meal all the time." Luffy muttered.

"I know," Brad nodded.

Reaching the food court, they sat down and ordered some cheeseburgers and onion rings. Luffy got a coke while Brad picked grape soda. Once their orders arrived, the duo started chatting as they ate. "You know, you look like my mom a little bit." Luffy commented.

That made Brad freeze. _His mom? The woman in the picture?_ He remembered the raven-haired woman with the shadow floating behind her. _His mom...my mom...Does he know we're family?_

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Brad snapped back to reality. "What is it?"

"You spaced out after I mentioned my mom." Luffy explained. "Were you thinking of your own mom?"

"No, my mom is...dead."

"Ooh! Sorry!" Luffy apologized quickly. "My mom died too, a long time ago. I'm on a journey right now to find who killed her."

"My mom died of an illness." Brad said softly, sipping his soda. _Someone killed her? Who and why? Does this boy, Luffy, know?_ "My dad left not long afterward. I've been alone with my mentor since."

"My dad and younger brother were really affected by my mom's death." Luffy continued. "Dad started vanishing for long periods of time and my brother got constantly ill and had nightmares. It was horrible, so I had to take care of the house myself. Dad eventually came back to stay and my brother, KC, got better. I guess I ended being Mr. Mom in our house."

"That sounds tough." Brad pointed out. _KC...So that's the other black-haired boy's name. Luffy and KC, my brothers. Now I finally know who they are._ "So, who's traveling with you?"

"KC, my best friend Mark, my brother's crush Alex, Mark's rival, and a bunch of others. There are ten of us in all." Luffy answered. "Did I forget to mention that we have a sixth place Kanto League Champion traveling with us?"

"A Kanto League Champion? Cool!"

"Yeah, I know. She may have won sixth place but she's powerful nonetheless." Luffy agreed. "I wonder how the others are anyways."

_With Will and Zack..._

"That was so cool! I love roller coasters!" Zack cried, biting off another chunk of his cotton candy. The duo had just got off a Rayquaza-themed roller coaster and was ready for more rides. "Let's go on that one next!"

"Sure, why not? Carnival's are meant to be fun, after all." The brunette boy laughed. As they headed for the bumper cars, Will noticed something and stopped to check it out. "Hey, Zack, look at this!"

"What?" Seeing it, he smiled. "Let's do it!"

"Gladly!" Will nodded, running toward the show.

A huge crowd surrounded a show revolving entirely around Water and Psychic Pokemon. A Medicham, Alakazam, and Kirlia were sitting on top of a nearby trailer, waving their hands in identical patterns while a blue aura surrounded them. Huge spheres of water were floating in the air with smaller spheres floating around them, held in their shape and in the air by the Psychic Pokemon. Tons of Water-type Pokemon swam in the water ball and dove from sphere to sphere in a fantastic show. Occasionally, a water sphere would float to the ground and a person would jump in it, joining the Pokemon.

Once it was their turn, the duo practically jumped into their sphere and found that they could still breathe. As they floated high into the air, their sphere merged with one containing a beautiful Milotic. In seconds, the Milotic made a flying leap and landed in another sphere nearby. A Horsea landed in the boys' sphere, laughing happily. Seeing a sphere nearby, Zack jumped and landed in it. He raised his arms and cheered happily, doing a victory dance.

Not wanting to be outdone, Will caught hold of a passing Sealeo and they dove into the giant water sphere in the center. Will looked around, amazed at the amount of Pokemon in this sphere alone. A Feraligatr swam close, curious, and nudged Will from behind. Spooked, Will swam backward and realized the culprit. Shaking his finger, he swam toward a group of Magikarp spinning in wild circles near the center.

Zack groaned and jumped to another small sphere, trying to get closer to the center. Looking around, he saw two Luvdisc swimming near him. He reached out to pet one, smiling as they swam past his hand and jumped to a larger sphere. As he shifted to jump spheres, the blonde waved his arms wildly as a larger sphere merged with his. Turning, he yelped upon seeing a huge Gyarados with bright red scales swimming near him. Dismissing it as a shiny since everyone was gawking at it, he reached out to pet it.

Will reached the Magikarp school and joined them, realizing that they were gathered near a small whirlpool located at the sphere's center. Swimming close, both Will and the Magikarp were sucked in and spun crazily before being released again. The brunette realized that they were doing this on purpose as a way of having fun. He laughed, watching as the bubbles popped before reaching the outer edge.

As Zack's hand brushed against its scales, the Gyarados turned and watched him with wary red eyes. Swimming circles around him, Zack noticed the shorter whiskers and realized that it was a female Gyarados. This calmed the panicked blonde since female Gyarados were less prone to a reckless attack than their male counterparts. Dubbing the boy harmless, the red Gyarados returned to observing the crowd far below her.

Will noticed the red Gyarados instantly and was surprised to see Zack so close to it. He waved his arms to catch the blonde's attention, only succeeding in attracting a Lumineon. Giving up, he watched the Lumineon join the Magikarp in spinning in the whirlpool. _This is great! I'm sure Zack will be okay with that Gyarados. Besides, the show wouldn't put a dangerous Pokemon out for the public to interact with._ Giving in, he dove back into the whirlpool. _Wheeee! This is so much fun!_

_With Krystal and Mark..._

After leaving the food court, the green-haired Snagger was dragged around by a giddy Krystal to all sorts of shows and games. Upon seeing a race track and battle arena, Krystal smiled and ran toward them. "Oh, I just love a good race! Don't you?" she asked.

"I don't race, I battle!" Mark replied.

"Whatever, just watch me win this!"

As Luffy's ex-girlfriend vanished into the racer stables, he saw a familiar brunette. "Ookami! What are you doing here?" he called.

"Oh, Mark!" Ookami ran over, smiling. "Leena is joining in the race and asked me to watch her stuff for her."

"Her stuff? What'd she get?" Mark asked.

"A lot of black stuff, that's for sure." Ookami chirped. "Oh, the race is starting! I hope Leena wins!"

"Yeah, I do too. Luffy's ex is in this race too." Mark pointed out.

"His ex?! I never knew he had an ex!" Ookami cried. "Where is she?"

"Right there, the brunette on the...Rapidash?!" Mark gasped. "She doesn't look like the kind to train tough Pokemon like Rapidash."

"I guess looks really are deceiving." Ookami muttered, green eyes watching as the race stables opened and the race started.

It was immediately clear that most of the racers were way out of their league here. Leena was flying across the circular racetrack on Arcane and laughing while she did so. Closing in on her was Krystal on her Rapidash, determination shining in her eyes. Soon enough, the two were neck in neck with each other. The announcer was trying to figure out who was in the lead but the two were tied perfectly.

"You better back off before you get beaten, kid!" Leena barked, leaning forward slightly.

"No chance!" Krystal shouted. "I've never lost a race before and that won't change now! Back off or eat my dust!"

"Not before you eat mine! Arcane, use Extremespeed!" As the Arcanine sped up and tore past the Rapidash, Leena smirked. "See you at the finish line, loser!"

"I'm not through yet!" Krystal hissed. "Go full speed, Rapidash!" _I've never had to go all out in a race before. This girl's definitely something else entirely. But I'll show her who's ruler of the racetrack, me!_

Leena grinned, feeling victorious already. _I can probably slow down a bit before Arcane gets too tired. Those guys are too far behind to catch up now._ As the Arcanine started to slow down, Rapidash tore past. Leena coughed. "Hey!"

"Now it's your turn to eat my dust!" Krystal yelled.

"Oh no, you did not just pass me." Leena snarled. Arcane entered Extremespeed again, desperately trying to catch up to the Rapidash. In seconds, they were neck in neck again. "You are going down, girl!"

"Not before you!" Krystal laughed. "I'm the ruler of this racetrack for a reason! No one can beat me!"

"Well, get ready to try a heaping pile of defeat!" Leena countered.

The two teenage girls remained tied until they crossed the finish line. The announcer announced that the tie must be broken by a one on one Pokemon battle. One Pokemon each, winner-take-all match. Naturally, the ruler of the racetrack went first. "Go, Raichu!"

"A Raichu? Man, this is gonna be easy!" Leena laughed. "Go, Eden!" As the Gardevoir appeared, Leena took the black egg and handed it off to Ookami despite the look of fear crossing the Psychic-type's features. "Calm down, Eden. She'll protect it for you until this battle ends, okay?" Though reluctant, Eden agreed.

"Raichu, ready to rumble?" Krystal asked.

"Rai!"

"Then let's do this! Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Eden, use Protect!"

Forming a shield around herself, Eden watched as Raichu tried to break through. Backing off, Raichu's cheeks sparked as it prepared to attack again. Unleashing another Thunderbolt, Eden dodged and struck with Psychic. Raichu was smashed into the ground and then tossed against a nearby crate. Struggling to his feet, Raichu glared angrily at Eden.

"Go, Leena! You can do it!" Ookami cheered, clutching the black egg close to her chest. Her pendant started to glow a pale green color, slowly brightening as it came in contact with the black egg. "I wonder why Eden's egg is black."

"You're right, it is odd to have a black egg." Then Mark noticed her pendant. "Ookami, your pendant's glowing!"

"What?!" She nearly dropped the egg in shock. "What's happening? Leena, help!"

"Ookami!" the raven-haired girl shouted.

Eden stared in shock before throwing Raichu into Krystal and stepping forward, a hand stretched out to touch the egg. Green electricity ran over its surface, crackling. The moment Eden touched it, the electricity faded and Ookami's pendant ceased to glow. As Eden picked up the egg, Ookami fell backward to the ground. Mark fell to his knees beside her, checking to see if she was alright. Announcing the battle as over and her as the winner, Leena jumped the gate to check on the green-eyed girl.

"Ookami, are you okay?" Mark asked.

"I think so," Ookami mumbled tiredly. "I just feel really weak and tired. What did that egg do anyways?"

"I don't know, Ookami." Leena admitted, looking at Eden for answers. "I've never seen Eden's egg do that before. Why was your pendant glowing?"

"I don't know, Leena. I just...don't...know..." Ookami closed her eyes, fainting.

"Hey, is she okay, Mark?" Krystal cried, leaping over the gate and coming over. "What just happened?"

"She's okay." Leena replied. "Mark, you know her?"

"She's Luffy's ex-girlfriend, Leena. This is Krystal." The green-haired Snagger introduced. "Krystal, this is Leena and Ookami. They're two of the others I'm traveling with."

"Leena? As in the sixth place Kanto League Champion?! Oh my god, I watched your battle!" Krystal exclaimed. "I so think you should have won first place for your fighting skills!"

"Well, so do I!" Leena agreed. "That loser Nathan didn't deserve first place. He's never had the courage to fight me before! It was just a fluke that he beat Kanto League Champion Sugimori. I should've won, not him!"

"I completely agree." Krystal nodded. "Do you need any help with Ookami?"

"Well..." Mark started.

"No, I've got it covered." Leaning down, Leena picked Ookami up and released Arcane. Placing the brunette on the Arcanine's back, she climbed on. "I saw a Pokemon Center near the middle of the carnival. I'll drop Ookami off there and look around for Luffy."

"He's probably in the food court or something, participating in some cooking contest or something of the like." Krystal suggested.

"Good luck, Leena!" Mark cried.

"Don't worry! Ookami's in good hands!" With that, the raven-haired teen raced off on her Fire-type Pokemon in search of the Pokemon Center. Glancing at Eden, who sat quietly behind her while cradling the mysterious black egg in her arms, she sighed in exhaustion. _Jut when I had enough problems with Eden, now that egg does something weird. Others have touched it before but this only happened when Ookami touched it. And why did her pendant start glowing like that? So many questions yet so few answers. But I know one thing, that egg is definitely the source of all this weird junk!_

_With KC and Alex..._

"I guess Mark was wrong this time." Alex said as she and KC wandered around. "We haven't seen any Shadow Pokemon since entering this place."

"Well, no Shadow Pokemon mean we can just have fun!" KC smiled. "I'm gonna go check out that game. Want to watch me win it?"

"Sure, why not?" the blue-haired girl agreed. _Why was I paired with KC again? Oh yeah, we had no say about it. Stupid Mark!_

The two Snaggers stopped in front of one of the games, one where you shoot water at a target to make the stuffed animal rise. Picking up the water pistol, KC started shooting at a target. Two other kids were competing against him. After a few seconds, KC was declared the winner and offered a Pikachu doll or a Sneasel doll. Seeing Alex looking at the Sneasel, the boy chose it and walked back to her.

"Looks like you won. Good job!" Alex congratulated. When KC held out the doll to her, she stopped in confusion. "What are you doing now?"

"I won it for you, Alex." KC explained. "You really love your Sneasel, so I thought that this would be a great gift for you. I hope you like." The raven-haired boy's face had turned completely red.

Alex smiled, blushing faintly. _So, KC has a crush on me. I should've guessed from his behavior and him wanting to hold my hand earlier in Fuchsia. But why am I blushing? Could I...like him too?_ She reached out and took the doll, hugging it to her chest. "Thanks, KC. I love it."

"You're welcome!" A raindrop hit KC's nose, making him look up. The sky had grown gradually darker and a storm was brewing. It was about to rain. "We better find some shelter of something, Alex. It's gonna rain!" Grabbing her hand, he ran for the Pokemon Center that was close to their location.

Reaching it, they didn't go inside but sheltered just under its roof. Alex noticed that KC was still holding her hand. She didn't try to pull herself free but just left it that way. She actually liked him holding her hand. It made her feel...safe? Yeah, that was it. "I've always liked the rain, you know." Alex commented.

"So do I, Alex. But I prefer it to be sunny, even if the rain always makes the grass grow and the flowers spring up from the ground." KC nodded. He blushed even worse when Alex rested her head against his shoulder. "Are you okay, Alex?!"

"Yeah, just a little tired, that's all." Alex muttered softly, smiling. _That's pretty ironic, isn't it? Prof. Oak, Gary, and Mark were the only ones who could put up with me when this whole journey started. I snapped at everybody and clung only to Mark if I got scared. But now, here I am, clinging to KC in a rainstorm. I really must have changed since people started joining our little group of Snaggers, from two to ten friends._

She smiled as she remembered how KC and Luffy first joined them. After that, friends started appearing in every city they visited. Slowly, their threat to Cipher became larger and Cipher had sent stronger and stronger goons to dispose of them. All attempts failed as long as they were together. _It's funny how the one thing I hated most, society, is what ended up helping us against Cipher,_ she thought.

"KC! Alex!" a voice shouted. Snapping out of their daydreams, the duo looked up to seeing Leena coming toward them on Arcane. As the Arcanine stopped in front of them, they noticed the unconscious Ookami. "What are you two doing here?" Leena asked. "KC, where's your brother?"

"I don't know!" he admitted. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Not yet but I have a feeling that something's about to happen." Leena growled, picking up Ookami and walking toward the doors of the Pokemon Center. Just as she was about to enter, a huge bolt of lightning hit the ground near the food court and a scream tore through the air. "KC, find Luffy!"

"Right! Let's go, Alex!" The two Snaggers ran toward the food court, still holding hands.

Leena noticed that and smiled. _Young love, how sweet._

She saw Ookami stir, opening one eye. "Where am I? What happened?" Ookami asked softly.

"Nothing bad, I hope." Leena muttered, walking inside. "You just get some sleep, Ookami. Everything's being taken care of, I promise."

"Really?"

"Really." Leena nodded. "I have to leave. Nurse Joy will take care of you, I promise."

"Okay..." Ookami fell asleep again.

As Nurse Joy appeared with a stretcher, Leena raced out the door and jumped on Arcane. As they ran toward the food court, she couldn't help but worry about the others. _Where are Will and Zack? Or Roen and Ryan? Are they all okay? Or are they in danger?_ Frowning, she looked around cautiously as Arcane sped through the empty streets of the carnival. The streets had emptied once the rain started and the lightning bolt struck the ground. _I hope Mark, Krystal, and Luffy are okay. Please, let everyone be okay! I don't want to lose anyone else ever again!!_

_With Roen and Ryan..._

After the lightning bolt had crashed into the ground, the two Snaggers had focused on helping anyone still left in the carnival. Checking under debris and toppled-over rides, they made sure to free anyone they came across and guide them to safety. "Do you think that's everyone?" Roen asked, rubbing his fogged-up glasses.

"Maybe," Ryan shrugged. "Keep searching."

The duo resumed their search, avoiding the area where the food court used to be. It was now a blackened area of ash, burnt wood, melted plastic, bent metal, and shattered glass. Finding a few people trapped under the remains of the Ferris wheel, Ryan's Froslass blew it off with Ominous Wind and the boys worked to help the injured. Blood had stained their clothing beyond recognition.

As Roen moved toward where the Water Show used to be, two familiar boys limped toward them. "Will! Zack! Are you guys okay?" the blue-haired boy called, attracting Ryan's attention.

"A little roughed up but I'd say we're fine." Will coughed, clutching his left shoulder. He still remembered what happened when the lightning bolt hit the food court. It had left its mark on them, too. "We already evacuated everyone there. Most of the show Pokemon are gone but Zack managed to score one."

"What? How?" Ryan asked, turning to the blonde. Then he noticed the Poke Ball clutched tightly in his right hand. "Zack, what's wrong?"

"Her owner's dead," the blonde said sadly. Tears were running down his cheeks but his bangs hid his eyes. He was shaking. "Her owner died from the fall and she got hurt. I had to help her, so I caught her. She's really hurt and I couldn't leave her like that. But she was someone else's, so am I stealing her?"

"No, you're not stealing her." Roen reassured. "Her owner is dead and you gave her a new home. Now, who or what is she?"

"...A red Gyarados..." Zack finally said.

"A red Gyarados? As in, a shiny Gyarados?!" Roen asked. "Man, you're so lucky! The chances of seeing one, let alone catching one, are about...um..."

"One in a million," Ryan put in.

"Yeah, that! You are so lucky, Zack!" Roen cried.

"Then why don't I feel lucky?" Zack asked.

The four became silent. Suddenly, Alex and KC nearly ran into them. "Guys, there you are!" KC exclaimed. "Do you know where Luffy is? Zack, why are you crying?"

"It's a long story. We'll tell you later." Will replied, placing one hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Where's Mark? I haven't seen him since we split up."

"Probably with Luffy," Alex suggested.

"I thought I saw Luffy down there with another boy." Roen pointed out. "Just before the lightning struck, I saw Luffy in a cooking show with some strange boy with dirty blonde hair. I didn't see Mark, though."

"Then where could he be?" Alex muttered.

"It doesn't matter, we'll find Mark later! We have to find Luffy like Leena said!" KC urged. "So let's go!"

"Okay! You guys head for the Pokemon Center. Ookami and Leena are already there." Alex ordered, quickly running toward the blackened food court with KC on her heels.

As the four boys headed for the Pokemon Center, Leena ran past them on Arcane. "Well, Leena's not at the Pokemon Center anymore." Ryan muttered.

"Let's get out of this rain, guys!" Will called, running toward the Pokemon Center with Zack stumbling alongside him. Roen and Ryan quickly followed, running through the doors of the Pokemon Center. "Mark! There you are!"

Mark was sitting in a chair with Krystal by his side, green hair plastered to his face by the rain and clothes soaked. He stood up upon seeing his friends. "Will, Roen, Zack, Ryan! You guys are okay!"

"Mostly, but we better get Zack's Gyarados checked out." Roen said.

"Gyarados? When did he get a Gyarados?" Mark asked.

"It's the red Gyarados from the Water Show." Will explained. "When that lightning bolt hit the food court, the Psychic Pokemon got scared and fled. A lot of people died and that really scared Zack. Then we found the Gyarados injured by her dead owner and Zack just caught it, saying he couldn't leave her like that. Then all this crazy stuff happened."

"I know, it's a lot to take in." Mark nodded, watching as Nurse Joy took the Gyarados from Zack to heal it. The blonde watched her every move like a hawk watching its eggs as they hatched. When Nurse Joy came back and said that the Pokemon was now ownerless, Zack instantly said he'd take care of her. "He's really gonna keep it?"

"I guess so," Roen said. "I hope Luffy is alright."

"So do I," Krystal muttered. "Sure, I treated him like dirt today but I'd never want him dead. Oh god, please let him be okay!" She put her face in her hands, crying.

"Who's she?" Will asked.

"Luffy's ex-girlfriend, Krystal," Mark introduced. "I'm going to go help Luffy."

"He has Alex, KC, and Leena right now." Ryan said. "We should stay here with Ookami,"

"Ookami! I completely forgot she was here!" Mark cried. 'I'm such an idiot! Nurse Joy, is our friend okay?"

"You mean the young girl that was brought in here earlier?" Nurse Joy asked. "She's perfectly fine, just tired. After a long rest, she'll be ready to go."

"Oh, thank god!" Mark sighed in relief. "I'd never forgive myself if any of you died."

"Don't worry about us, Mark. We can handle ourselves just fine!" Will snapped. "Just worry about yourself and we'll be fine. Besides, what would we be like without you?"

Mark smiled. "Thanks, Will."

"Whatever, man!" the brunette shrugged. "I have to make sure my rival doesn't go emo on me, right? That'd be no fun at all!"

"Oh, you little rat!" Mark tackled Will and pulled him into a headlock. "All you care about is our fights! And how did I end up becoming your rival anyways?!"

"Gack! Can't...breathe!" Will choked, struggling to free himself.

"Hooray for the stupid rivalry!" Zack laughed for the first time since arriving in the Pokemon Center. He looked down at the Poke Ball with sadness. _Don't worry, Gyarados. I'll take good care of you from now on. I promise I will!_

_With Luffy and Brad..._

"Aaah!" Brad yelped, crashing to the ground. The two goons, Amelia and Brutus, had returned with a Shadow Electabuzz and caused the lightning bolt. Once everyone else had fled, the two goons started attacking Luffy and Brad in revenge. Shakily sitting up, Brutus grabbed the front of Brad's shirt and hauled him into the air.

"Not so tough now, eh?" Brutus asked, grinning.

"I guess these two aren't so tough after all, Brutus." Amelia laughed from her spot on Luffy's back. She had the raven-haired boy's arm pulled around his back, threatening to break it if he moved. "Who's think a Snagger and Special Cipher Peon would be so easy to beat?"

"A Special Cipher Peon?" Luffy muttered, gasping as Amelia bent his arm further. _I can't believe I trusted him! So he was a Cipher goon after all. Figures! Just when I thought I'd found another friend..._

Brad growled, struggling in Brutus' grip. "That's not true! You had the unfair advantage of a surprise attack!" he barked.

"Too bad, kiddo." Brutus laughed, tossing Brad into a table and watching as the ten-year-old curled into a ball. Blood ran from his mouth and forehead.

Amelia smiled, loosening her grip on Luffy's arm. Seeing his chance, his jumped to his feet and threw her off. He released Infernape to deal with the Electabuzz. Amelia hissed, joining her partner and preparing to fight. Luffy's eyes trailed toward Brad. _Why are they attacking one of their own? It doesn't make any sense._

"Brutus, I'll deal with this kid." Amelia said, brushing green hair from her shoulder. "You deal with that pipsqueak goon so we can get out of here already."

"Roger that, Amelia." Brutus nodded, stalking toward the fallen boy.

"Hey, leave him out of this! Isn't he on your side?" Luffy demanded.

"Yeah but we hate our current status." Amelia chuckled. "Beating someone like Agent 99 would give us quite the big promotion. We have bigger and better things to do than get the heck kicked out of us by a bunch of snot-nosed brats like you!"

"Infernape, use Flare Blitz!"

"Electabuzz, use Shadow Bolt!"

The attacks collided and exploded, shrouding the two in smoke. As Amelia opened her mouth to shout for Brutus, a wooden stick smashed into her stomach and sent her flying into a couple of tables. Slumping to the ground, she was knocked unconscious. Luffy ran as fast as he could through the smoke, wooden stick in hand as he charged the giant goon from behind. Jumping into the air, he brought the stick down on the blonde goon's head.

Howling in pain, Brutus backed off a few steps as Luffy landed in front of Brad. Shaking the boy, he smiled when Brad woke up. "Are you okay, Brad?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why'd you save me?" Brad asked. "I'm your enemy."

"Well, your allies are hurting you so I had to help." Luffy smirked. "I couldn't just stand by as they beat up their own. It wouldn't be fair."

Sitting up, Brad smiled. "Thanks,"

Luffy stood up and lifted the stick. "No problem. Now to deal with that overgrown giant goon." As he turned, he heard electricity crackling.

"Electabuzz, use Shadow Thunder Punch!" Brutus roared.

"Look out!" Brad screamed.

Whirling around, the attack crashed into Luffy's chest and he felt electricity shocking him. Screaming in pain, he was flung into a nearby pole and slid to the ground, his head hung. Blood ran down from his scalp and over his right eye. Brad stared in fear. "Brother!" he cried.

"Sorry, kid, but he had to pay for hitting me." Brutus snarled. Electabuzz crackled its knuckled, growling as electricity coursed along its black and green striped body.

Slowly, Luffy looked up. _Brother...? What's he talking about?_

"Now, Electabuzz, hit them with everything you've got! Shadow Bolt!" Brutus commanded.

Brad crawled over to Luffy, scared. _We're gonna die. We're really gonna die._

As the black lightning attack shot right at them, a black figure appeared in front of them. Raising its hands, an orb of black energy appeared and shot out at the oncoming attack. Exploding on impact, the smoke soon cleared to reveal their savior. Luffy smiled. "Thanks...Darkrai..."

_Darkrai?!_ Brad thought, looking at the Dark-type Legendary. Then he remembered the dark shadow behind the woman in the picture. _Does Darkrai have some connection to mom? And why is it with Luffy?_

"Darn it! Again, Electabuzz!" Brutus yelled. As it made to attack again, a blast of ice knocked Electabuzz away. "Huh? Now what?!"

"Luffy!" Alex shouted.

"Big brother, we're coming!" KC yelled.

"KC...Alex..." Luffy muttered, coughing. "So, they...came looking for me...How nice..."

"Luffy, are you okay? Luffy!" Brad cried. He looked at Darkrai desperately. "Help him! Please!"

Reaching under its cloak, Darkrai pulled out a black and white berry that was shaped like a pear. It held it out to Brad and as Brad grabbed it, he heard Darkrai speak. _Have him eat it. This Enigma Berry will help him heal._ Staring up at it in shock, he asked, "Did you just talk?"

Darkrai nodded. Brad tore his gaze away and focused on helping Luffy. Helping the older boy eat the berry, he waited to see what would happen. Luffy blinked, surprised. _That's weird. One minute I'm in pain and the next, I feel as good as new. But how?_ Looking up, he saw Darkrai. _Oh, I get it now. Darkrai must've used the Enigma Berry I gave it to help me._ "Thanks, Darkrai,"

Darkrai nodded again and pointed to the two other Snaggers. "Do we help them?" Brad asked.

"Yeah, we have to. That's my little brother out there." Luffy coughed, standing up.

_Little brother? So, that boy must be KC. It seems I've met both of my half-brothers,_ Brad thought.

"Oh yeah, I have to ask you something." Luffy added.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you call me 'brother'?"

"Eep!" _I must've said it aloud when Luffy got hurt! I'm such an idiot!_ "Uh, I did? Sorry about that! I must've slipped my tongue!"

"...Okay..." Luffy muttered. _He's hiding something, but what?_ "We better help KC and Alex. We couldn't beat that Electabuzz so how can they?"

"Right!" Brad nodded.

"Sneasel, use Avalanche and follow up with Ice Beam!" Alex ordered.

"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel nodded, summoning snow to crash down on the Electric-type. As the snow turned to ice, the ice shattered thanks to Electabuzz's electricity. "Sneasel sneasel!"

"I can't believe this!" Alex clenched a fist angrily. "Nobody, not even Mark, managed to destroy that combo before. This guy is definitely something else compared to the other goons we've dealt with."

"Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!" KC shouted.

The beam of brilliant white light crashed into Electabuzz, sending it flying into a nearby pole and snapping it in half. Getting up, it roared as it unleashed a Shadow Bolt upon the duo. Dodging, Bulbasaur and Sneasel landed in front of their trainers. They were slowly but surely getting exhausted. Just how much more could this Electabuzz take?

Just as it moved to attack again, a flash of orange and black crashed into it. A toss of a Snag Ball and the Shadow Electabuzz was captured. Brutus, scared, ran away as fast as he could while carrying Amelia. Leena laughed, jumping off Arcane and greeting the Snaggers proudly. "That wasn't that hard, you know." She chuckled.

"You weren't the one who weakened it!" KC yelled.

"Yeah, we did all the work and you just gave the finishing blow!" Alex agreed.

As the trio fought, Brad slowly slunk away. He didn't belong here with them. He was from Cipher while they were against it. Even if his family was here, he couldn't leave Cipher like that. _I promise that I'll come back one day, Luffy. We can be a real family, even if mom isn't there and your dad isn't mine. I'll come back from Cipher permanently. I just need to figure out how._ He used his own teleportation device and vanished.

Luffy noticed Brad's disappearance and dismissed it. Since Brad was with Cipher, of course he'd have to leave them. _At least I got to see him at all._ Leena urged for them to hop on and they did, running back toward the Pokemon Center. They were greeted with smiles and hugs, all glad to be alive. The storm had ended and now they had to leave for the next town. Krystal decided to escort them there since she lived in Saffron City, their next stop.

They headed up Route 14 and turned east through a maze of white picket fences. After getting through there, they headed along a dock path that was known as Silence Bridge or Route 12. Passing the Fishing Guru's house and the junction leading to Route 11, they neared the lookout station that would take them back to Lavendar Town. Leena had bought some drinks for the guards so they could get into Saffron but that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Entering Lavendar Town for the second time in their whole journey, the sky was pitch black and stars were slowly appearing. Most of the clouds had cleared, taking the rain with them. They rented three rooms at the Pokemon Center and prepared for a long night's rest. They had quite the busy day today.

Everyone but Mark fell asleep easily. He couldn't stop worrying about Prof. Oak or Zapdos. Cipher had stolen so many Legendaries already and no matter how much security there was, Cipher would steal Zapdos at no cost. What would happen if they went after Darkrai? Then the Snaggers themselves would be targeted because of Luffy and KC's connection to the Dark-type Pokemon. _This isn't fair? Why are we the only ones suffering from this whole war? Why?_

_Back on Route 15, the carnival location..._

Jake frowned upon seeing the disaster zone. The black hole covering the ground where the food court was usually located and the torn-apart rides... Nobody was here anymore. He knew the Snaggers had been here but where were they now? Where were they going? "How terrible,"

Hearing the sound of a helicopter overhead, he looked up to see it zooming north. A jagged C was on the sides of it and it seemed to be headed for the Indigo Plateau. No, the Power Plant was a more reasonable choice. But why?

The raven-haired boy ignored it, walking toward Route 14 to find a suitable campsite. It never crossed his mind to check the newspaper he had taken that morning from Celadon City. If he had checked it, he would know why a Cipher helicopter was going to the Power Plant. And if he knew that, he might have shot the helicopter down to prevent the disaster its mission would cause if it succeeded.

Lying down, Jake was about to fall asleep when his Murkrow snapped away and started screeching like mad. Grabbing the frightened bird, he attempted to calm it down but only resulted in getting a peck on the hand. The Dark-type bird attacked his bag furiously, tearing the newspaper out of it and pecking it. Pulling it away from the enraged bird, he saw the front page.

Then he realized the mistake he made in letting an enemy helicopter go. He nearly kicked himself out of pure anger. The helicopter was headed for the Power Plant for one reason and one reason only. It was going to capture Zapdos and turn it into a Shadow Pokemon. It was going to put the world in peril.

**Next Chapter:** Anger, Threats, Tears...and Pokemon

"We're finally here!" Alex cheered. After all that hard work, they were at the third to last gym. "Only two more after this and Kanto is saved!"

"Don't forget that we have to beat the Cipher Elite Four and the Cipher Champion, Alex." Luffy pointed out.

"Either way, Kanto is nearly saved!" KC laughed.

"Isn't this the gym of the woman who warned us about Mist in Pewter City?" Mark asked. "I wonder what she's like."

Ryan shivered as he remembered her. This was the woman that nearly killed him in Vermillion. _I have to be careful around her. Water-types seem to be her strong point but this is a Psychic-type gym. Will she change Pokemon?_

"Well, we'll beat her no matter how much she helped us." Roen huffed. "She's still an enemy."

"Oh, yeah!" Leena cried. "Let's go kick some Cipher Gym Leader butt!"

--

Hey, I hope you all liked the chapter! When I put the next chapter up, my poll is coming down and a new one will possibly be put up concerning my PMD2 fanfic. Also, can anyone guess where I got the name Sugimori from (hint: it's a person from the Pokemon industry)?

I hope the carnival was okay, KCSonic113. Yes, I got the Water Show idea from Pokemon: Prince of the Sea and I just had to add a shiny Gyarados. Never thought Zack would get it until I just found myself writing it. She'll come in very handy for Zack in the future. And the mystery of Leena's black egg and Ookami's pendant will be revealed in due time.

I hope you enjoyed it despite its lateness! I promise to try and update quicker ASAP! Please review!


	29. Chapter 29: Threats, Tears, and Pokemon

Hey, everyone

Hey, everyone! Holy, nearly 4000 hits on this story alone! Awesome! I have to thank everyone, even those who haven't reviewed or don't have an account, for taking the time to read this story. I'm grateful to you all. Thank you, !! XD

We have three days off for two school weeks and one day off on the week after that, so I'm using those days to try and update faster on this story. The poll is now closed with a 9/3 vote and the group will be splitting up between Johto, the Orange Islands, and the Sevii Islands. The Kanto region is slowly but surely coming to a close with three more gyms left to conquer and the Cipher League ready to be defeated, but not easily. I still have plenty to put in before the Snaggers leave Kanto, including some sad parts...Waah! I'm still crying over some of the things I'm going to make happen! Now onto the chapter!

Chapter 29: Anger, Threats, Tears...and Pokemon

Freeze sighed, pulling the last of the bandages off his chest. He got up, fully healed, and went looking for Molt. When he had woken up that morning, the redhead was nowhere to be seen. "Where the heck is he?" he growled, stalking down the hallways. The blue-haired boy had been searching for his twin for hours and he was getting madder and madder.

But once he reached the training rooms, he heard a familiar voice. "Flare, use Shadow Flamethrower!"

Peering in, he couldn't believe what he saw. Molt was training with Blazer! "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT?!" he roared.

Molt looked up at his brother and smiled. Freeze stomped over and didn't hesitate to punch the redhead. "Ow! What are you doing, Freeze?!" Ignoring his cries, Freeze grabbed Molt's arm and started dragging him toward the door. "Let me go! I'm still training!" The redhead struggled to free himself from his brother's grip.

Freeze turned to Blazer and said, "I'm sorry, sir, this idiot brother of mine is beyond help. I'm sorry he wasted your time."

Molt growled, growing angry. "LET ME GO!!" He twisted around and kicked Freeze, sending him flying. Freeze hit the wall and crashed to the ground, then slowly rose again and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"How dare you go against me, Molt." He hissed angrily. "We were going to get our revenge together, without anyone else's help. We were going to do it with the trust we had in each other! How could you betray that trust?"

"I'm not going to be pushed around anymore, Freeze!" Molt yelled. "I am sick and tired of being picked on and called a coward! But most of all, I'm sick and tired of being bossed around by YOU! I'm not gonna take it anymore!"

Freeze was surprised. He'd never seen Molt angry before, never. But now he was getting mad. "Fine then! If that's how you feel, you're on your own! You and I are going our separate ways. I will continue with the plan. You do your stupid training, I don't care! I will gain my vengeance alone." Freeze turned on his heel and stormed away.

Molt didn't cry. He wasn't a crybaby anymore. He was going to get stronger no matter what, even if it meant going against his brother. "I'm sorry about the interruption, sir." Molt apologized to Blazer. "May we continue?"

"Sure, whatever," Blazer shrugged. "Who'd think you two would get in a fight over a little training? Definitely not me."

"Heh, yeah," Molt chuckled nervously. _It wasn't over a little training. It was over me going against our original plans. I'm sorry, Freeze, but I have to get stronger. Good luck with our—no, your—vengeance._

"Okay, try that Shadow Flamethrower again." Blazer instructed, pointing to a flour bag dummy. "Make sure you burn the whole thing, not just the head. 'Kay?"

"Right, sir!" Molt agreed, looking down at Flare, his beloved Shadow Flareon. "Flare, use Shadow Flamethrower again!"

"Flareon flare!" she cried, releasing a blast of searing hot flames. The flames engulfed the dummy, burning away the head and upper body. Flare smiled triumphantly. "Flare!"

"Ugh!" Molt groaned. _She missed...again!_ "Oops..."

Blazer sighed, rubbing his temples. "This...is gonna take a while."

_Route 8..._

The Snaggers and Krystal stopped in front of the lookout station, ready the enter Saffron City at last. Pulling out some lemonade, Leena handed it to the guard and waited until he moved aside to proceed forward. As the eleven trainers passed through the station, Krystal explained the situation about Sabrina losing her gym to some redhead woman.

_Redhead woman? Could it be her?_ Mark thought, remembering the woman who seemed to care for Mist. _It has to be her, no doubt about it._

"Well, I'm heading home. It was nice meeting you all." Krystal said, shaking hands with everyone. Once she reached Luffy, she hesitated before hugging him. "I'm glad you found some new friends and that you're safe. Good luck!" With that, she raced away to an apartment complex on the other side of the city.

"We're finally here!" Alex cheered. After all that hard work, they were at the third to last gym. "Only two more after this and Kanto is saved!"

"Don't forget that we have to beat the Cipher Elite Four and the Cipher Champion, Alex." Luffy pointed out.

"Either way, Kanto is nearly saved!" KC laughed.

"Isn't this the gym of the woman who warned us about Mist in Pewter City?" Mark asked. "I wonder what she's like."

Ryan shivered as he remembered her. This was the woman that nearly killed him in Vermillion. _I have to be careful around her. Water-types seem to be her strong point but this is a Psychic-type gym. Will she change Pokemon?_

"Well, we'll beat her no matter how much she helped us." Roen huffed. "She's still an enemy."

"Oh, yeah!" Leena cried. "Let's go kick some Cipher Gym Leader butt!"

"But first, we should find Sabrina." Will suggested. "Well, Mark, where would she be?"

"Right here," a voice said from behind the brunette. Will jumped and twirled around to confront Saffron's former Gym Leader. "It's good to see you all."

"Man, don't do that!" Will complained.

"Scaredy cat!" Leena laughed.

"I am not!" Will barked.

"Stop fighting!" Ookami cried. "This isn't the way to act around a Gym Leader!"

"No, really. It's all right, Ookami." Sabrina said.

"Huh? You know my name?" Ookami asked, surprised.

"What do you expect?" Luffy chuckled. "She's a psychic and the best one out there!"

"You got that right, Luffy!" Mark nodded.

"Hey, Sabrina? Do you know who beat you?" Alex asked.

"Yes, I do." The green-haired woman nodded. "Her name was Rosalean and she's an agent from Cipher."

_Rosalean?!_ Mark thought, remembering the name.

"_Are you a Cipher goon?" Mark asked._

"_No," she said. "I'm a Gym Leader. Saffron's Gym Leader to be exact."_

"_Why are you here?" Mark pressed. "What do you want?"_

"_I'm here to give you a message." She said. "I'm telling you not to mention Anna during your battle with Mist. It'll put him in a rage and you will end up either injured or dead due to the ferocity of his powers."_

"_You guys just don't want him turning traitor on you, that's all!" Alex stated._

_The girl sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm telling you this as a friend."_

"_But you're not a friend." Mark replied._

_The girl looked up and stared at Mark. "Yes, I know that. But I do not want you to be killed by Mist. He can't accept the concept of death too well because of Anna. I'm telling you this to reduce the chance of your deaths."_

"_I'll think it over." Mark said._

"_Thank you for at least listening." She said, walking towards Route 3._

"_Hang on!" Mark called. "You know us but we don't know you. Who are you?"_

_The girl stopped and smiled. "My name… is Rosalean." Then she vanished._

"It is that girl from before, Alex!" Mark exclaimed. "The one who warned us against mentioning Anna to Mist. This is definitely her!"

"Yeah, I know." The blue-haired girl nodded. "So, she's still in your gym? How did she beat you?"

"She used very powerful Water-type Pokemon." The Gym Leader replied. "Being a Shadow Pokemon strengthened their powers to the point where even my psychic capabilities couldn't deflect their attacks."

"Man, that has to suck," Roen muttered. "I can only think of a handful of people who've ever beaten Sabrina in a full blown battle before. Two are standing right in front of me!"

"Yeah, but now we have to take this Rosalean woman down! Right, big brother?" KC asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Luffy nodded. "So, what're we waiting for? We've got Sabrina so now let's go beat that Cipher Gym Leader!"

"Hang on a sec, Luffy!" Leena barked. "We don't know that she'll even use her Water-types this time. We have to prepare for anything. Maybe we should rest at the Pokemon Center for a bit before heading there. Besides, there are still goons to beat."

"Leena has a point." Mark agreed. "I say we take a break and go beat some goons before we head for the gym. That okay with everyone?"

"I believe that is a yes from their thoughts." Sabrina replied, walking toward the Pokemon Center. "Let's go, Mark. We can fight once we rest ourselves and our Pokemon."

"Um...she's sure acting strange." Zack said.

"Nah! She always acts like that! Right, Mark?" Will laughed.

"No, Zack's right." Mark shook his head. "Sabrina's acting a little odd. I wonder why."

"Well, let's find out then!" Alex chirped. "To the Pokemon Center!"

The group quickly followed after the Saffron Gym Leader, intent on finding out why she was acting so strange. They were in such a hurry that they never noticed a pair of green eyes watching them go by, glaring angrily at them. _Soon, Snaggers. Soon, I'll avenge Mist for his defeat at your hands. Your journey ends here!_ The eyes vanished as the figure teleported away in a flash of red and green.

The group entered the Pokemon Center and healed their Pokemon. Sabrina remained quiet, watching her hands as they clenched and unclenched in hr lap. The Snaggers were chatting during their momentary rest, mainly discussing what to do next. Then Mark's PDA started beeping. Flipping it open, he reported that there were at least fifteen Cipher goons in Saffron City, mostly in the Silph Co. Building.

"So, what now?" Will asked, folding his arms behind his head. "We gonna head for the Silph Co. or not?"

"Of course we are, Will!" Roen replied. "Right, Mark?"

"Yeah, we are." The green-haired boy nodded. "The Silph Co. President might be in danger. But we all can't go since there are goons elsewhere in Saffron too."

"We have to split up," Ryan summarized.

"Yeah," Mark agreed.

"KC, Leena, Ookami and I could handle the goons around the city while the rest of you storm the Silph Co. building." Luffy volunteered, holding up his hand to complete the gesture.

"Sure. That sounds like a great idea." Ookami nodded. Her eyes trailed to Leena and her hand reached up to touch her pendant. She clutched it in her hand tightly. _Why did I faint at the fair when I touched that egg? What is it? And why did my pendant react that way? That hasn't happened since my father died...and that was a long time ago. Why is it happening again?_

"Ugh...Fine, I'll come with you guys." Leena reluctantly agreed. "Though I wanted to go to the Silph Co. building with you guys, too."

"You can take my place, Leena." Zack piped up. "I think I'll stay outside this time."

"Are you sure?" KC asked.

"Yeah," the blonde boy nodded.

"If you say so, kid." The raven-haired girl shrugged. "I guess I'm with you guys now."

"Welcome to the group then." Alex chuckled. "Nice to have you."

"Thanks," Leena replied sarcastically, smirking. "So, when do we go?"

"The quicker, the better," Sabrina suddenly said, surprising everyone. "The faster you defeat Rosalean, the faster you can get to Cinnabar Island and save—?!" The Gym Leader suddenly went silent.

"Save who? Is Blaine in trouble?" Mark demanded, grabbing the older woman's shoulders. "Sabrina, you have to tell us. What happened at Cinnabar?"

"Mark, stop it!" Leena barked.

"Huh?" Then he realized that Sabrina was shaking. "Sabrina, are you...okay?"

"Blaine's not okay," Sabrina whispered.

"What?!" Roen yelped. "What's that supposed to mean? What happened to him?!"

She looked up sadly. "Blaine was thrown into the lava pit of the volcano his gym is located in."

"You're kidding!" Alex cried.

"He can't be...right, big brother?" KC looked at his older brother, fear reflected in his eyes.

"Is Blaine...dead?" Ookami asked, shaking all over. _This can't be happening. Cipher wouldn't have killed Blaine. They just wouldn't. Please say no, please!_

"...No, he is not dead." Sabrina finally said after a horrid silence.

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good. Talk about building suspense." Mark sighed, brushing some bangs out of his face. "Well, is he okay?"

"If it wasn't for his Magmar living in the volcano, he would've died." Sabrina explained. "He has slight burns but nothing permanent or life-threatening. He is currently in the hospital, recovering from his wounds."

"That's good to know." Will muttered. _Whoever did that to Blaine is gonna pay big time for trying to kill him. I swear on my honor I'll beat whoever tried that stunt._

"Since that's outta the way, let's get ready to save Saffron so we can go visit Blaine in the hospital." Luffy suggested.

"Good idea, Luffy." Mark commented. "Ookami, KC, Luffy, and Zack, scout around Saffron and beat the goons in the city. Everyone else is with me, heading for Silph Co. Everyone cool with that?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's do this!"

"YEAH!" the Snaggers cheered.

The Snaggers split up, Sabrina deciding to remain in the Pokemon Center, and went their separate ways. Mark, Alex, Will, Roen, Leena, and Ryan headed for the giant window-filled building that was the Silph Co. building. Entering the building, the first floor was empty. Heading up the stairs, they spotted two people: the Move Tutor and a Cipher goon. Roen quickly grabbed his Pidgeotto's Poke Ball.

"Guys, I'll handle him. You get going, okay?" the blue-haired boy said. "I'll catch up in a minute."

"Be careful," Ryan advised.

"Right, right, now go!" Roen barked, waving a hand.

As the other five Snaggers headed for the second floor, Roen turned to face his opponent. The goon wore a blue and red shirt with black jeans, black and white tennis shoes, and a black earring in his right ear with a black diamond hanging from it. He had messy black hair and black eyes. "So, you're here to fight me? Well, get ready to lose!" he yelled. "Go, Mothim!"

"Pidgeotto, you're up!" the blue-haired Snagger cried, releasing the Flying-type. "Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!"

"Mothim, dodge it!"

The bird sped forward to attack, only to have the Bug-type sidestep it. Pidgeotto repeated the attack, dodged each time by the elusive bug. A bright red body and wings proved it to be a Shadow Mothim. Roen growled, clenching a fist as the Mothim ducked away from the attack again. _This is taking too long. What if the others are in trouble? I'm glad Ookami isn't here, I'd never forgive myself if she got hurt. Either way, I have to end this fast!_

"Mothim, dodge one more time and then use Shadow Gust!" the goon ordered.

_Shoot!_ Roen quickly retaliated, a plan already forming in his head. "Pidgeotto, use Steel Wing to cut through the wind and end it with Quick Attack!" he shouted just as Mothim unleashed its attack. "Ugh!" The wind whipped at his arms and face, nearly knocking his silver and black-framed glasses off his face. "Pidgeotto, do it now!"

The Flying-type's wing started glowing silver as it charged forward, cutting through the attack as if it were nothing. Pidgeotto let out a shrill cry as it crashed into the Bug-type, defeating it. Roen tossed a Poke Ball, capturing it and returning his beloved Pidgeotto. The blue-haired boy smiled victoriously as the goon fled. Then he noticed something on the ground.

Walking over, he picked it up and looked it over. It was a thin rectangular box about the size of a calculator with a jagged C on the front. "Hey, is this—?!" The top suddenly opened and white gas poured out, flooding the room in seconds. Roen coughed, falling to his knees before collapsing to the ground. "Sleeping...gas..." He tried to drag himself to the stairs but passed out.

Rosalean sighed, stepping out from behind a plant. She wore a cloth mask over her mouth to prevent the gas from affecting her. "Excellent," she muttered. "One down, nine to go. I _will_ have my revenge on you, Mark Hunter." She gestured for the supposedly-fled goon to come out and carry Roen. Turning, the duo teleported back to Saffron Gym...taking the unconscious Roen with them.

_On the island housing Cipher..._

Poindexter gulped, staring at his feet as he stood in his master's chambers. The hacker had only been here twice before: once when he joined and again when he betrayed them in Orre during their second reign with Shadow Lugia. All three times he came in here, bad things have happened to him. He kept his eyes down, his glasses glaring white in the pitch black of the room. _What did I do now?_

"Poindexter, what a pleasant surprise to see you here again," the Cipher leader's voice echoed through the room. Despite the kind tone, Poindexter knew he was in trouble. That kind voice only came out when the boss was certain of someone's punishment. "I have called you here to verify some...rumors...I have heard about you and your work currently."

_Oh no, please no,_ he thought. If the boss found out about the Cipher plan files being copied or about Mist's imminent escape, he and the white-haired psychic were both screwed. _Keep calm, keep calm. Panicking won't solve this. Just act cool and answer calmly._

"Many of our plan files have been mysteriously vanishing for short periods of time before reappearing again. Do you know anything about that?" the boss asked.

"No, sir," Poindexter replied. "I have no idea who could be doing that. Definitely not me,"

"And why not you?" Prof. Pine accused, stepping out of the darkness. "Only a select few individuals have access to those files and you're one of them. Admit it!"

"Pine, calm down," the boss ordered from his hidden location.

"But sir!"

"Enough!" the boss yelled, silencing the violet-haired scientist. "Poindexter, keep an eye out for the culprit. Pine, return to the labs and finish turning those Legendaries into Shadow Pokemon."

"What Legendaries?" Poindexter asked. _They caught more that quickly? I've gotta hurry and tell the Snaggers about this, if they don't know already._

"Curious, aren't you?" the boss asked. "Indeed, we've successfully captured the Legendary dogs and, most recently, Zapdos. Our next target shall be Celebi."

_Like you could even catch it. It's known as the Time Travel Pokemon for a reason, nitwits. It'll escape to another time the instant you see it. What idiots you all are,_ Poindexter thought smugly. "Thanks for the update, boss. Do you know the Snaggers' current location?" he asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"Why so curious all of a sudden?" Pine asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Hey, can't a guy ask a simple question without being accused of something he didn't do?" the brunette demanded. "I just want to know, that's all."

"Saffron City," the boss replied. "They'll be in Cinnabar soon enough."

"Okay," the hacker shrugged, turning on his heel to leave. "See you later!"

"Poindexter, I'm not through with you."

"Huh?" _Now what does the boss want?_ Poindexter reluctantly faced where he supposed his boss was. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Mist anywhere? I haven't seen him much since his defeat by the Snaggers and he has been refusing to take missions, having better things to do. Do you have any idea what these 'better things' happen to be?" the boss asked. You could practically see the devious grin on his face.

"Um...no. Sorry, I haven't seen him either, boss." Poindexter lied. _If he finds out about our plans, we're dead._ "Why would I want to be near him anyways? He still has my computer chip, if you've forgotten."

"Ah, that is a good point." The boss muttered. "You may leave now, both of you. I tire of your presence. Leave now."

"Yes, sir." Together, the scientist and the hacker exited the room. Once the door closed behind them, Pine turned on the hacker. "I know you're the one stealing and copying those plan files. Why?"

"Sorry, I can't tell why." Poindexter smirked. "I'll die if I do. But there is something I will tell you, Pine. Cipher's gonna lose Kanto."

"What? How can you be so sure of that?!" Pine growled.

"I just know. Take this but don't try to look at its contents. It won't open unless you have both the password and a sample of my blood. Both of which you don't happen to have." The hacker handed Prof. Pine a computer disk. "I advise you open it once the Snaggers enter Johto."

"Why?"

"You'll know soon enough. And don't tell or show anyone what's inside, okay?"

"...Fine."

"Thanks, Pine. I owe you." Poindexter said. _If I live long enough to repay you, that is..._

As the hacker turned to leave, Pine finally asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time. "Poindexter, are you the Shadow Master?"

"...!" The brunette sighed. "I guess I knew you'd find out, Pine. Yeah, that's me. So, are you gonna tell on me?"

"...No. No, I won't." Pine muttered. "I've been helping the Shadow Master for too long to turn on you now. Your secret...is safe with me."

"Thanks, Pine. I owe you for that too." With that, Poindexter took off down the hallway toward his room. Pine simply watched him leave before the violet-haired man returned to his lab to continue his job: turning innocent Pokemon into heartless killing machines. _What a nice life I have,_ he though sarcastically.

Mist looked up and smiled faintly upon seeing Poindexter enter the room. "What took you so long?" the white-haired Gym Leader asked.

"The boss called me to see him. I think he's on to us, Mist."

"Then we better hurry this up." Mist sighed, fingertips tapping lightly on the box resting in his lap. "How much longer until I can finally leave this place?"

"Another week or two, Mist. Calm down, okay?" Poindexter replied, tapping on his keyboard. "If only we had a bit more help, this could go faster."

"Did you say you wanted help?" a familiar voice asked.

Mist twirled around, glaring. "Freeze! What do you want?!"

"Hey, I just want to help!" the blue-haired boy yelped, raising his hands. "And so does the kid here. All three of us want to find the Snaggers, right? So can't we just help each other? It would make the work go faster, you know."

"Who's the kid behind you?" Poindexter asked.

Slowly, Brad stepped out from behind the older blue-haired boy. "I want out of here too. My two half-brothers are Snaggers and I want to join them." He explained. "I just want to see my family again. Please, let us come with you, Mist! We can help!"

"I don't need any help," Mist hissed.

"We're helping whether you like it or not!" Freeze declared.

"Well...we could use the extra help. And you three could all travel to find the Snaggers once you get out of here." Poindexter pointed out. "Maybe you should let them go with you."

"Please!" Brad whined.

"...Ugh! Fine, you two can help." Mist finally growled. "But tell no one what we are doing, okay? Poindexter, how long will it take if all four of us do this?"

"Two or three days at the least, five at the most." The hacker replied.

"So we can help? Hooray!" the dirty blonde-haired boy cheered.

_Yes,_ Freeze thought. _It's too bad Molt isn't here...but who cares about him?! He betrayed my trust and now he's paying for it! Serves him right!_ The blue-haired 18 year old ignored the guilty feeling building up in his heart. Molt chose to leave him and that was that. Enough said. "Well, let's get to work!"

"Yeah!" Brad cried.

"Why me?" Mist wondered.

"Oh dear..." Poindexter muttered. "Things just got a lot crazier in here."

As the four men got to work with their escape plan, they never noticed the Shadow Gengar hiding in the darkest corner of Poindexter's room. Grinning in satisfaction, the Ghost/Poison-type fled back to the boss' chambers. Once there, it reported what it had overheard. The boss laughed, his voice echoing off the walls.

"A betrayal, eh?" the boss muttered. "I should've known a wild card like Poindexter wasn't safe to keep around. He's turning my best agents against me." The boss sighed sadly. "I'm afraid we must eliminate all four of them before they can put their escape into motion. In three days time, Mist, Freeze, Bradley, and Poindexter shall be terminated. Understood?"

The Gengar nodded, vanishing into the shadows. The Cipher leader simply smiled, red eyes glaring out into the darkness and sharp white teeth glinting. _All resistance shall be exterminated!!_

_Saffron City, Silph Co. Floor 9..._

Mark groaned. "Where is everyone?!" he yelled.

Since Roen battled the goon on the second floor alone, his companions had vanished one by one. Roen on the second floor, Ryan on the third, Leena on the fourth, Alex on the fifth, and Will somewhere between the sixth and eighth floors. That left Mark all alone on the ninth floor with no clue as to the whereabouts of his friends. He was beginning to get worried but ignored it.

Seeing the Card Key on a nearby table, he grabbed it and stepped on the warp square. Reappearing on the fifth floor, he saw no sign of Alex. "Where did she go?" he muttered. He quickly went down to the third floor, seeing no sign of Ryan, and opened a door to a room containing a warp square. Stepping on it, he warped to a room on the seventh floor. What he saw shocked him. "What are you doing here?!"

Anna's ghostly form stood in the center of the room. She wore the same dress with bloodstains on it and the same straw hat on her head. She smiled, brown eyes gleaming happily upon seeing him. "Hi again, Mark!" she said.

"Anna, you're...How did you get here?!" Mark demanded.

"Oh, that! I asked Arceus to bring me back here so I could tell you something." Anna replied. "You're about to have some new friends soon!"

"New friends? Who?"

"Awww, that would spoil the surprise!" the orange-haired girl whined, sticking out her tongue. "You don't wanna ruin the secret, right?"

"Um, no?" Mark was thoroughly confused now.

"I have something else to tell you. An old friend is gonna join you once you leave Kanto!"

"An old friend?" Mark though desperately. He had plenty of friends in other lands. Who could it be? "Could you be more specific on whom?"

"Nope!" Anna giggled. "I also have two things to give you, Mark." She held out a pure white Poke Ball in her hands. "Open it, open it! I hope you like it! It took me forever to find it!"

"Uh, okay." Pressing the button, the ball popped open and a flash of white light came out. His eyes widened in shock at the Pokemon before him. It was a pure white Mew with bright red eyes and pale pink at the end on its paws and tail. Wrapped around its neck was a blood red ribbon. "Holy! Where did you get it? Is it really for me?"

"Yeah, _she_ is!" Anna nodded, emphasizing 'she'. "Her name is Snow and you better take good care of her. She'll be a great help to you in the future, Mark. I promise."

"Thanks a lot!" Mark cried as the albino Mew flew into his arms. "Oh, you said you had two things to give me. What's the other thing?"

"This," Anna whispered. Before he could say anything, Anna moved forward and kissed him on the lips. It only lasted a second but Mark remained paralyzed. "Please take care of Mist for me, Mark." A single tear ran down her face. Then she vanished again with a smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks.

Mark stood there, frozen. A blush slowly crept across his cheeks as it dawned on him what had just happened. He had just been kissed...by a ghost girl. Sparks, getting annoyed, quickly unleashed a Thunderbolt on his trainer. Mark snapped back into reality when he heard Snow scream in pain. The Pikachu ended his attack, clearly having forgotten that the Mew was there too.

"Snow, are you okay?" Mark asked softly, cradling the white Mew in his arms.

"Pika pika! Pikachu pi! Pika...Pika pi!" Sparks cried, trying to apologize to the Mew. Leaping onto Mark's shoulder, Sparks repeated the phrase until the Mew stopped crying. "Pika? Pika pi?"

"Mew? Mew mew!" Snow nodded, sniffing. Mark quietly wiped away the tears rolling down her furry white cheeks and smiled when those red eyes met his own green ones. For a second, he swore they matched Anna's brown eyes perfectly. "Mew? Mew..." Slowly, the albino Mew fell asleep in Mark's arms.

Mark smiled. "Good night, Snow." He returned her to the white Poke Ball and placed it in the pocket on the inside of his jacket, where he placed his most special Poke Balls. Sparks' Poke Ball was the only other one in that pocket. Now he had two precious Poke Balls resting in that pocket. "We better find out what to do now, Sparks."

"Pika pi!" Sparks jumped off the Snagger's shoulder and ran to the other side of the room. There, he pointed to a warp square. "Pikachu! Pika!"

"Good work, Sparks!" Mark praised, scooping the Electric-type up as he stepped on the warp square. In seconds, he found himself on the eleventh floor. Walking around, he found the Silph Co. President's office and entered to see a young woman standing in front of the old man. "Hey! Get away from him!"

"Huh?" The woman turned around, staring at Mark emotionlessly. Her sleek brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail and hazel eyes stared at him. She wore a leather jacket over a white T-shirt, jeans, and black tennis shoes. Her skin was tan and she looked around 20 years old. "Who are you?"

"Mark. You?"

"Terra, Cipher Gym Leader of Viridian City," the woman, Terra, replied.

"Oh, please help me! I don't know what this woman wants, really!" the Silph Co. President cried.

"Right! Sparks, go!" Mark yelled. The Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and landed in front of him, cheeks sparking.

She held out a Poke Ball and said, "Hippowdon," The giant purple and black Ground-type came out, roaring. Its glowing red eyes glared hatefully at Sparks and sand seemed to rush out even faster from the ports on its body.

"Sparks, use Quick Attack and Iron Tail!"

"Hippowdon, use Shadow Rush. Then attack with Shadow Bite."

Sparks charged forward at top speed and leaped into the air, his tail glowing silver. Twisting around, his tail nearly hit the Ground-type before Sparks was knocked away by its massive head. As he lay stunned, Hippowdon dove down to bite him. A quick shout from Mark managed to make the Pikachu wake up and escape the attack. Sparks skidded to a stop in front of Mark and prepared to attack again.

_Man, she's tough,_ Mark thought. _That was too close for comfort. But I've gotta beat her._ "Sparks, get ready for Volt Tackle!"

Terra sighed, her facial expression barely changing. "Hippowdon, use Shadow Earthquake." She ordered.

As the Pikachu started to charge at it, electricity crackling around his body, the ground began shaking. Hippowdon continued to stomp its huge feet, creating giant tremors. Sparks tried to keep balanced as he charged but eventually crashed, the electricity fading as the tremors slowed to a stop. Seeing the Ground-type towering over him, Sparks dove away to dodge the huge foot that was crashing down toward him. Suddenly, he jerked to a stop. His tail was trapped under Hippowdon's foot!

"Sparks, use Thunderbolt to try and break away!" Mark cried. _I can't believe this! How is something that big so fast? Why couldn't Sparks dodge it?_

"Hippowdon, use Shadow Rush again."

The Ground-type ignored the electrical shocks hitting its body, only focused on finishing its fight. Raising its free leg, it crashed it down on the Pikachu's back and pinned him under its 661 lb weight. Sparks screamed, unleashing even stronger attacks as he was slowly crushed under Hippowdon's massive body. Mark could only stare in horror as his Pikachu fought desperately for his life.

"Sparks! Stop it!" Mark shouted, tears appearing in the corner of his eyes.

As if hearing his cry, the white Poke Ball in his jacket pocket burst open and Snow appeared. Seeing her new friend in danger, the albino Mew flew forward until she was right above it. A sphere of blue energy appeared in her pink paws and she threw it full force, attacking the Hippowdon from above. Hippowdon roared in agony, moving just enough to allow the battered Pikachu to break away.

_Was that...Aura Sphere? This Mew's at Level 100!_ Mark realized. Snow and Sparks raced back to Mark, terrified and injured. The green-haired Snagger gathered the wounded Pikachu in his arms while Snow settled on his head, her tail wrapped around his shoulders. "It's okay, you two. It's okay now." He whispered reassuringly.

_So, this boy has a Mew,_ Terra thought. _That wasn't in his list of known Pokemon. No matter, it doesn't make a difference. I'll get what I came for one way or another._ "Hippowdon, use Shadow Sandstorm."

"Huh?" _She's not done yet?!_ The Snagger was unprepared as the sandstorm hit him, the sand burning his skin. Sparks cried out in pain as the sand hit his wounds. Snow, terrified, slid down from his head and crawled into his arms for cover.

Terra looked away from her trapped opponent and turned back to the Silph Co. President. "Now hand over what you have. My master has need of it. If you do not give it up willingly, I'll take it from you by force." She threatened.

"N-no! I won't hand it over!"

"Hmph! Wrong answer." She hit him across the face, sending the old man crashing into a chair and making it fall over with him still in it. She walked toward him and grabbed the front of his shirt, hauling him upright again. Her expression never changed. "Hand it over...now!"

"I said...no! I won't give it to evil people like you!" the Silph Co. President yelled. "This is supposed to go to the young man that you are fighting. He is the only one who gets it."

"Wrong again, old man." She hit him a second time, throwing him onto the couch. She stalked toward him, eyes full of fury yet no anger appeared on her face. "Do you want to die for something so insignificant as what you are guarding?"

"If it means you'll never have it, then yes!"

"Then so be it." Her hands wrapped around the man's neck and squeezed, cutting of oxygen. The Silph Co. President struggled, desperate for air. Terra simply squeezed harder and harder, a twisted smile slowly appearing on her face. "This is the fate of those who resist us!"

Mark froze when he heard the Silph Co. President scream. Snow instantly leaped into action, flying above his head and creating another Aura Sphere. When it appeared, the white Mew held it out to Sparks and nodded. Understanding, the Pikachu touched his tail to the orb and electricity instantly crackled around it. The Snagger suddenly realized what they were doing...and boy did he like it!

"Thunder Sphere!" he shouted as Snow raised the electrically-charged Aura Sphere and tossed it through the sand. In seconds, the sandstorm diminished and they were safe again. "We're out!"

"Pika pi!" Sparks cried, pointing to Terra choking the old man.

"Hey!" Mark jumped, tackling Terra to the ground and pinning her. "Why were you trying to kill him?!"

"That's my orders, boy. Now get off!" Her hand connected with his cheek, sending him tumbling off of her. She stood up, her hand rubbing her right side where Mark had crashed into her when he tackled her. "I'll give you one last chance. Hand it over, old man."

"No! This belongs to this young man right here, not you!"

"Huh?" Mark asked. "What belongs to me?"

"I'll show you after you beat her." The Silph Co. President replied, hiding behind the green-haired boy.

"Hippowdon, use Shadow Rush."

"Thunder Sphere!" Mark yelled.

A second electrically-charged Aura Sphere crashed into the Ground-type and sent it crashing into a wall. Terra stared, not seeming to care at all. Reaching into her pocket, she returned her Hippowdon and headed for the door. "You win this time but Rosalean will beat you."

"Yeah right! With my friends by my side, I'll always win!" Mark countered, grinning. "I'll beat Rosalean and every other Cipher Gym Leader. That's a promise!"

"...Your friends can't help you." Terra finally said.

"What?"

"Rosalean purposely separated the ten of you, you know." Terra explained. "One by one, she captured your friends and Sabrina until only you remained. Didn't you wonder why your friends never came back? Rosalean captured them."

"What?! Why?" Mark demanded. "Why would she do something like that?!"

"She wants revenge for you beating Mist and wants a one-on-one fight with you." Terra continued as if she hadn't heard him. "If you wish to ever see your precious friends again, you must come to Saffron Gym and defeat Rosalean...alone."

_Alone?_ Mark remembered how hard it was trying to beat Mist alone. He had always had the Gym Leaders and Alex to back him up in these Cipher fights. He's never fought any of them alone before aside from the goons. Could he actually win a Cipher Gym battle on his own? _I better be able to or my friends are in deep trouble._

"Good luck trying to win, Mark Hunter." Terra turned and left, teleporting away once she stepped out of the doorway. Mark just watched her leave, confused and frightened by her words.

"Young man, are you all right?"

"Huh?" He turned and smiled in relief. It was just the Silph Co. president. "Um, yeah. I think I'm okay. What about you?"

"I'm fine, aside from being short of breath at the moment." The old man chuckled, coughing slightly. "Thank you for rescuing me. Would you happen to be Mark Hunter, one of the ten known Snaggers?"

"Yeah, that's me." Mark nodded.

"Oh, good! I have something for you as a reward for you saving my life. Here, have this." The Silph Co. President placed a single Master Ball in Mark's hand. "Those evil people were going to use it to capture rare Pokemon. But I kept it safe for you."

"Thanks, sir. I'll make sure to use this for a good reason." Mark promised. _I already have an idea of what to do with this. KC and Luffy might not like it though._ "I have to go now. Take care!"

"You too!"

Mark exited the Silph Co. building with only Sparks and Snow by his side. If what Terra said was true, his friends were at the Saffron Gym. Making his decision, he went north toward the Fighting Dojo to do some extra training before he took on Rosalean. As he entered the dojo, he battled the four trainers before taking on the leader. After a long fight, Mark became the victor. He picked the Hitmonchan and decided that he might give it to Will later.

After going to the Pokemon Center to heal his Pokemon and rest, he headed for Saffron Gym. _Don't worry, guys. I'm coming!_ He ascended the stairs and entered the gym. It looked that same aside from the knowledge that Cipher goons and Rosalean were lurking inside. As he walked onto the gym floor, the lights on the ceiling instantly turned on. Blinded for a moment, he held a hand above his eyes in order to see.

Rosalean was standing on the opposite side of the gym floor, her Floatzel standing beside her. And tied up by the far wall...were his friends and Sabrina. "Guys!" he cried.

"Mark!" Alex cried happily.

"Hey, what took you so long, buddy?" Luffy called.

"Beat that Gym Leader so we can get out of here!" Will shouted.

"Oh, shut it, you brats!" the redhead woman barked angrily. "You, Mark, are battling me one-on-one. I don't like the thought of your friends backing you up every step of the way and I want to see for myself whether or not you can stand alone."

"Fine, we fight your way." Mark agreed. "How many Pokemon each?"

"The normal three Pokemon limit," Rosalean replied. "Feeling nervous? How about scared?"

"No,"

"Well, you should be. And you will be in a few seconds!" Rosalean growled, pulling a Poke Ball from her pocket and tossing it into the arena. "Go, Swampert!"

_I guess since it's just me, she won't be using any Psychic-types. And from what I've heard, she uses mostly Water-types. This will be a piece of cake for Sparks._ Just as the Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, a metal hand shot out of a nearby wall and grabbed him. "Pika pi!" The hand tossed the Electric-type toward Mark's trapped friends, conveniently landing in a cage whose top closed once Sparks was inside. Standing up, Sparks beat against the walls of the metallic prison and unleashed electricity, only to have it turn against him. Collapsing on the ground, Sparks gave up. "Pika..."

"Sparks! What was that for?!" Mark demanded.

"Shouldn't you use your Shadow Pokemon, Snagger?" Rosalean asked. "I'm afraid your pathetic Pikachu just can't cut it."

"Sparks," KC muttered, wriggling against the ropes that tied him up. "Man, I feel like I'm in a cocoon."

"Tell me about it." Leena agreed. "If only I could get into my pocket...Ugh!"

"What's in your pocket?" Ookami whispered.

"What do you expect? My knife!" the raven-haired girl hissed. "...Darn it! I can't reach it!"

"Anything we could do?" Roen asked. "Maybe we can reach it if you tell us where it is."

"In my back pocket, on the left," Leena replied. "One of you, keep an eye on those two so that Cipher Gym Leader doesn't see what we're doing."

"Okay, I will." Alex muttered, turning slightly so she could see their redhead capturer better. _Mark, you better beat her. If you don't, I'll make you regret it!_

"I'll try and get the knife," Luffy volunteered, inching his way behind Leena and trying to get one hand into her back pocket. When his hand accidentally grabbed her butt, he yelped in surprise. "Sorry! It was an accident, really!"

"Who cares about that right now?!" Leena hissed. "Now shut up and grab my knife!" _He better not have grabbed my butt on purpose, the little pervert..._

"Okay..." Luffy tried again, finally closing his fingers around the knife handle. "Got it! Um, now what?"

"Sabrina!" Leena hissed. "Can you use those powers of yours to cut everyone free with my knife?"

"I could try," The Gym Leader closed her eyes and focused. The knife suddenly flew out of Luffy's hand, hovering in midair for a second. Suddenly, it clattered to the floor. Alex looked at Rosalean fearfully but relaxed when she seemed to not notice the noise. "I'm sorry. The effects of the sleeping gas haven't completely worn off yet."

"It's okay," Ryan reassured. "Rest and try again in a bit."

"Thank you but I'm not done yet." Closing her eyes a second time, a single Poke Ball tore free of her belt and flew toward Mark. Just before it hit him, the ball burst open and Kadabra popped out. _Kadabra should be able to help him a little more now._

"What?!" Rosalean glared angrily at Sabrina. She smirked when the metal hand shot out to capture Kadabra, only to watch in horror as it was crushed by Kadabra's psychic powers. "No way!"

"All right!" Mark cheered. "Thanks a ton, Sabrina!"

Sabrina simply nodded before resting her head on the gym floor. "I'm going to take a rest but Kadabra will still fight through my mental commands. Be careful." She closed her eyes, exhausted.

"Grrrr!" Rosalean growled, clenching a fist angrily. "It doesn't matter if you have Sabrina on your side. This just proves you really can't fight alone!"

"...I can fight alone but why bother if I have friends that are too determined to let me fight alone?" Mark asked, shrugging. "If they want to fight with me, I'll let them. I have no say in their decisions."

"Whatever! Just get ready, brat!" the redhead snarled.

"Sure," the green-haired Snagger nodded. "Let's do this."

"You're on!" Rosalean shouted.

"Let's go!" Mark yelled. _This battle is so mine. I'll get my friends back...no matter what!!_

_Outskirts of Saffron City..._

Jake sighed as he entered the city. From what he could tell, the Snaggers were already here. "Perfect," he muttered. He headed for the Pokemon Center and healed his Pokemon. Then he heard a familiar voice. Twirling around, he looked at the TV to see the Snaggers in battle with a redhead woman. To be precise, the leader was fighting. "What the?"

"That just started a few minutes ago, young man." Nurse Joy informed.

"Really?" The raven-haired boy just stared as the Kadabra, Sabrina's no doubt, appeared by Mark's side and crush a metal hand that had come from nowhere. "Where are the other Snaggers?"

"Right behind Rosalean,"

"Rosalean?"

"That's the name of the woman who took over Saffron Gym." Nurse Joy replied. "She captured the other Snaggers and Sabrina beforehand and is battling Mark alone."

"Oh," He caught sight of the others tied up behind the redhead woman and felt anger well up inside of him. Snatching his Poke Balls, he stomped outside and headed for the gym. He heard Nurse Joy follow him.

"Hang on! Where are you going?!"

"To Saffron Gym to help them." Jake replied, never pausing as he kept walking toward the gym. "We have similar goals and what that woman did is too much for me to stand by and allow it to happen. I'm helping them whether you like it or not."

"But you're just a child!" Nurse Joy cried.

"Just a child? I don't think so," Jake chuckled. "We're cursed, all of us. The Snaggers and myself are cursed to capture Shadow Pokemon and save them. Cursed to be chased by Cipher. And cursed to be the only ones capable of bringing Cipher down. You people wouldn't understand that!"

"...But..."

"You can't do anything to fight these people. Only we can, so just stay out of our way and let us do what we're destined to do." Jake growled. "I'm going. Don't you dare follow me."

Nurse Joy simply stood there as she watched Jake head for the gym. She felt powerless and terrified by his words. "Why? Why them? They're just kids..." She turned and entered the Pokemon Center, sad but praying desperately that they'd win.

Jake stopped in front of the doors of the gym and sighed. "Absol," The blue and white canine appeared at his side. "We're going to be helping some people, okay. They're our friends so don't hurt them. Just attack that redhead woman."

"Sol!" Absol barked.

"Good boy. Now to blast down these doors. Razor Wind!"

Absol nodded and unleash a barraged of wind blades upon the door. In seconds, the door collapsed inward and Jake stepped inside to see the Snagger leader and the Cipher woman staring at him. "Who are you?!" the woman, presumably Rosalean, shouted.

"I'm Jake, a Snagger, and I have come to help." Jake simply said.

_He's a Snagger too?!_ Mark thought.

**Next Chapter:** Let's Make A Deal

"Thanks for all your help, Jake." Mark thanked. He turned to see the sun setting. "Looks like we have to stay in Saffron tonight. We can ride to Cinnabar on Zack's Gyarados tomorrow so we can see Blaine."

"What are you gonna do, Jake?" KC asked.

"I have a request." Jake said.

"Anything! You helped me so I'll do anything to repay you." Mark offered. "...Okay, maybe not _anything_ but you know what I mean."

Jake nodded. "I wish to join your group. My goal is to rid the world of Shadow Pokemon and to do that, I must defeat Cipher. But as you can see, it can't be done by one person. Will you have me as an ally?"

"Sure, why not?" Alex laughed. "We could use someone like you in our group."

"Thanks," Jake smiled.

"Also, I have something for KC and Luffy." Mark suddenly said. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Master Ball. "The Silph Co. President gave it to me. I already have an idea of what to do with it."

"What is it?" Luffy asked.

Mark sighed. _I'm sorry for asking this, guys._ "I need either KC or Luffy to capture Darkrai with this Master Ball." He finally said.

--

I've finally finished this chapter! The next chapter will make this story 30 chapters long, everyone. Hooray! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Once this is uploaded, I'll get right to work on chapter 30 so it can be uploaded ASAP. Hope this was worth the wait. --'

How will Mark and Jake defeat Rosalean? What purpose will Snow become in the future? Who is the old friend Anna said would join them once they leave Kanto? And can Mist, Freeze, Brad, and Poindexter escape Cipher before the boss executes them? I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out. Please review!


	30. Chapter 30: Let's Make A Deal

Hi again, guys! Now this story is 30 chapters, 342 pages, and 101 reviews long! Hooray! I guess I'm not gonna make it to my 100 chapter goal but oh well...maybe I will if I combine all the chapters of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Orange Islands, Sevii Islands, Battle Frontier, Battle Zone, and Orre once the whole story ends? Hmmm...I'll figure that out later once I actually write those! I hope this was worth the wait. This chapter contains the Rosalean battle. Onto the chapter!

Chapter 30: Let's Make A Deal

Mark just stared in shock as the mysterious raven-haired boy walked into the gym. _He's a Snagger too? But why didn't Prof. Oak tell me about him? What's going on here?!_ He growled, turning toward Jake. "Hey! Just who are you?"

"The name's Jake. I presume you're the leader of the Snaggers, right?" Jake asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's me...And how do you know about us? Or Cipher?!" Mark demanded.

Jake sighed and stopped once he was standing beside Mark. "I'll tell you after we win this battle."

_What the? Why was there another Snagger still on the loose? I'm certain we caught all of them but then this one shows up,_ Rosalean thought, biting her lower lip. _Why haven't we seen him yet? He wasn't in the files Prof. Pine supplied me with. Is he new? Darn it! Now I've got a wild card to deal with..._

"So, are we going to fight or not?" Jake asked.

"Of course we are!" Mark replied. _Hang on, guys. We're coming._ "Anyways, I'm Mark Hunter,"

"Nice to know but save the introductions for after we defeat this Cipher woman," Jake suggested.

"Sure," the green-haired boy shrugged.

"Swampert, get ready," Rosalean warned. The Swampert growled a reply and stepped forward, prepared to take any attack thrown at it.

"Absol," The Dark-type stood alongside his owner.

"You have an Absol?!" Mark said, surprised.

"Yeah, I do. He was very hard to catch, as you might imagine." Jake nodded. "Get ready."

"Okay, I will!" Mark bargained with using Snow but decided not to, grabbing Shadow Espeon's Poke Ball instead. "Come on out, Espeon!"

The instant that red Espeon appeared, Jake stared at Mark in shock. "You have Shadow Pokemon too?"

"Yeah, a lot of them. My friends and I have been catching them from Cipher." Mark explained. "I'm gonna turn them back to normal one day. Wait a second! How do you know she's a Shadow Pokemon?!"

"I can see her dark aura and her odd coloring,"

"How?!"

"It was probably from when I was a child. But I'll tell you that later." Jake shook his head, ridding himself of the memory. "Ready?"

"I'm always ready! Espeon, you good to go?"

_Yes, Mark,_ Espeon nodded.

"Good! Then we'll start it off with Confusion!" Mark cried.

"Swampert, use Shadow Pump!" Rosalean ordered.

"Absol, defend Espeon with Razor Wind!" Jake shouted.

Espeon charged while Absol unleashed a barrage of wind blades to protect her. The Shadow Pump slowed her down but little by little, the attack dissolved thanks to the Razor Wind. As the wind faded, Espeon leaped into the air and unleashed her attack. Swampert howled in pain, backing up while Espeon landed a few feet away. As she turned to thank Absol, a blast of water crashed her into the back wall. Espeon collapsed, gasping for breath.

"Good job, Swampert! Now hit that Absol!" Rosalean ordered.

"Absol, dodge and use Night Slash!" Jake cried.

The Dark-type dodged blast after blast of water, his claws glowing a deep purple color. Seeing an opening between the attacks, he darted through them at top speed. Absol jumped up and tore his claws across the Water-type's face, only to be swatted away by a powerful hand. After recovering from the blow, he got up and prepared a Razor Wind. As he readied to fire, he was forced to dodge when Swampert unleashed another Shadow Pump upon him.

_Darn it!_ Jake thought, gritting his teeth. _These guys are pretty strong. No wonder Cipher's so hard to defeat!_ He glanced at Mark, whose hand had strayed to a pocket on the inside of his jacket. "Are you going to help me or what?!" he demanded.

"Yeah, just give me a sec!" Mark spat, grabbing another Snag Ball. "Umbreon, your turn!"

_Another Shadow Umbreon?!_ Jake thought, his eyes trailing to the Poke Ball on his belt that contained his own Umbreon. _His must be the original..._

"Espeon, use Shadow Panic! Umbreon, use Shadow Wave!" Mark ordered.

Shaking his head, Jake nodded to Absol. "Use Night Slash to help them out and then follow up with Razor Wind."

"Sol!" Absol barked.

Espeon focused as her jewel started glowing bright red. A black aura engulfed the field and started pulsing. Umbreon unleashed waves of darkness while Absol struck with his claws, injuring the confused Swampert. As the Swampert wildly looked for its attackers, Absol jumped high up and let loose a barrage of wind blades. The Water-type roared in pain before shooting a blast of brown water up at him. Absol barely dodged, crashing to the ground.

"Man, this guy is hard to beat!" Mark complained.

"Just concentrate," Jake suggested. "It's three against one. He won't last for much longer if we keep this up. But why isn't Sabrina's Kadabra moving?"

"I dunno. It's just been standing there." Mark replied, glancing at the Psychic-type. "I wonder what it's doing?"

"Being a burden, most likely. Absol, use Night Slash again!" Jake cried.

_A burden?_ Mark thought. _No...no way. Kadabra's definitely doing something but what? I hope it'll help us soon._ "Espeon, use Confusion! Umbreon, attack with Shadow Rush!"

Unaware to the duo and to Rosalean, Kadabra was following Sabrina's direct mental orders. While the battle continued, Kadabra reached out with its psychic powers and slowly used Leena's knife to cut the other Snaggers free. At the moment, it had finally freed Sabrina and was moving on to Luffy. _Thank you, Kadabra. Keep going,_ the Gym Leader praised. The Kadabra nodded and continued with its work.

"Nearly there. Come on, keep going," Luffy muttered as the knife slowly cut through the ropes that tied him up. "When I get out of here, that girl will pay for kidnapping us."

"Count me in on that, Luffy." Leena nodded. _And you will pay for touching my butt,_ she added, smirking.

"Hey, can anyone get at their Poke Balls?" Zack suddenly asked.

"Why?" Will countered.

"If we can get our Pokemon out, they can help free us." The blonde explained. "Alex, your Sneasel would be a big help with his claws."

"You're right!" the blue-haired girl cried. "...Yeah, I can just barely reach it. KC, can you help me unhook his Poke Ball? Once I have it in my hand, I can release him."

"Uh, yeah. Just give me a sec to reach you." KC started inching his way toward her. Once he was beside her, he stretched his hands and felt the ropes burn his wrists as he attempted to grab the Ice/Dark-type's Poke Ball. Finally feeling it slip off her belt loop, he smiled triumphantly. "Got it!"

"Now put it in my hand," Alex said.

"Okay," The raven-haired boy blushed as he roughly pushed the Poke Ball into her open hand. "There. Now do it!"

"Gladly. Sneasel, come on out!" As the Pokemon appeared, he looked shocked to see his owner and her companions tied up. "Sneasel, I need you to cut the ropes binding us. But you have to stay out of that woman's sight, okay? Once you get us out, I'll try to free Sparks. Okay?"

"Sneasel sneas!" the Sneasel growled, angry that his trainer had been treated this way. In a heartbeat, he had torn Alex's ropes to ribbons. As he moved on to KC, she quietly crawled over to the cage that Sparks was trapped in. Reaching up, she fumbled with the lock on the Pikachu's cage before finally getting it off. "Sparks, time to get out."

"Pika pika!" Sparks cried, as if saying 'Thank you!' before jumping out. The duo quietly crawled back to their friends and awaited the perfect opportunity to jump into the battle.

Mark growled in frustration as he returned Umbreon. Reaching into his pack, he stared in surprise when he pulled out Shadow Pikachu's Poke Ball. "Well, here goes nothing. Pikachu, your turn!" The female Pikachu landed on the field, cheeks sparking as she glared at the Swampert.

_That's Mimzy's Pikachu!_ Rosalean realized. "So, you really did take it...Mimzy's Pikachu."

"Hey, you guys didn't leave me a choice! I—"

"Mark, drop it." Jake interrupted. "Capturing these corrupt Pokemon is your job, right? What they say holds no meaning."

"...Huh?" Mark didn't get it. What's with this guy? Didn't he care for other people's feelings? They deserved to be angry at him for taking their Pokemon. "Jake..."

"What?" the raven-haired boy asked.

"...Nothing. Forget about it." Mark muttered. "Pikachu, you ready?"

"Pika!" She turned away from him, her arms crossed defiantly. "Pika pika! Pikachu! Pika pi! Pi!"

"Awww, come on! Why do you have to pull a tantrum now?!" Mark cried.

_Well, well, it seems Pikachu doesn't want to listen to him. That's good for me,_ Rosalean thought, smiling. _If she refuses to attack, Swampert won't have to worry about being hit with any Electric-type attacks. Perfect..._

Jake groaned. "Absol," In a split second, the Dark-type jumped and pinned the Pikachu to the ground. Letting out a low growl, he bared his fangs. Pikachu screamed, going completely still.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Stop that!" Mark shouted.

"She needs to start obeying your orders, Mark. Defiance is the last thing we need right now." Jake replied. "Absol, up," The Absol stepped away from her. The Pikachu got up and ran to Mark, hiding behind his leg. "See? Now she seeks you for comfort. Eventually, that will become loyalty."

"That's no way to make a Pokemon trust you!" Mark shouted. "Did you do that to gain your Pokemon's trust?!"

"No, that wasn't needed. My Pokemon trusted me from the start. Even my Umbreon depended on me once I found him and became loyal fast." Jake said. "Shadow Pokemon rarely trust others. Force is sometimes necessary to ensure their trust in you."

"That's insane!"

"Maybe for you but, hey, it works."

Rosalean's smile grew wider as she watch the two Snaggers fight. _Now to knock out that Espeon,_ she thought. "Swampert, use Shadow Pump!"

Espeon's scream quickly shattered their fight and the duo whipped around to see her curled up on the ground, unconscious. Swampert bellowed, daring Absol to attack it. Shadow Pikachu cowered even more behind Mark's leg, terrified of the larger Pokemon. Returning Espeon, he tossed out Shadow Raichu and prayed that Pikachu would help him. She never moved from her hiding place.

"Raichu, use Shadow Bolt!"

"Absol, Night Slash!" Then Jake grabbed another Poke Ball from his belt. _Time for you to come out now,_ Jake thought. "Umbreon, come out and use Shadow Rave!"

_Shadow Rave?!!_ Mark thought, staring in shock as the Shadow Pokemon appeared. "But..._I_ have a Shadow Umbreon! How did you get one? Why are there _two_?!"

"Well, well," Rosalean laughed. "So, that's where Prof. Pine's experiment ran off to. It went looking for someone to protect it and ended up with a Snagger. How ironic indeed,"

"Umbreon isn't yours anymore," Jake growled. "Shadow Rave!"

Swampert screamed as it was hit with the electric attack. Slamming its paws onto the ground, giant black spikes erupted from the ground near Umbreon and encircled the Swampert. Umbreon nodded to Absol and the Absol nodded back, jumping and using the spikes to reach the Swampert. Leaping to the spike just behind the enraged Water/Ground-type, Absol slashed his glowing claws across one shoulder before darting behind the spikes. Swampert growled in anger. It couldn't get at the pesky Absol with these spikes in the way!

"Mark, use your Raichu to finish it off and catch it," Jake suggested. "Quickly, before it can recover from our combined attacks. And put that Pikachu away. She obviously isn't going to help us."

"Okay..." As Mark reached for Shadow Pikachu's Poke Ball, she suddenly took off at full speed...towards the trapped Swampert! "Pikachu, come back! You'll get hurt!"

"Pika pika!" she cried. "Pika pika pi! Pika!!"

"Huh?" Mark couldn't believe it. She actually _wanted_ to fight now? Then he grinned. "All right then! Raichu, get ready to help Pikachu if she gets in too much trouble!"

"Rai!" Raichu took off after her.

"Absol, stay right where you are!" Jake quickly ordered. Absol nodded, staying put. 'Umbreon, stand your ground. Don't let those spikes dissolve just yet."

"Wait, the spikes dissolve?" Mark asked.

"After a little while, yeah." Jake nodded.

"Okay. Pikachu, get ready to use Shadow Bolt!"

"Pika pi!" she cried, leaping onto the spikes and charging at Swampert.

Rosalean spotted the threat and instantly retaliated. "Swampert, look out! An electric rat is coming your way!"

"Swamp!" Swampert roared, readying a Shadow Pump. "Swam...PERT!!" A huge jet of water was sent hurtling her way. Just as Mark moved to warn her, the Shadow Pikachu jumped high into the air and dodged the attack all together. Once that was over, she resumed her charge, electricity crackling from her red cheeks. "Pika pika..."

Unfortunately, her jump didn't stop the attack from flying at the two Snaggers. "Uh oh!" Mark yelped. "Jake, run for it!"

"We won't outrun it! And run where?" Jake demanded.

"I don't know! Anywhere!" the green-haired boy shouted.

Suddenly, the water attack shot upward and collided with the ceiling. Exploding, the inside of the gym was showered with water from the attack. Jake opened his eyes in time to see Kadabra resuming its position. He simply smiled. _I guess Kadabra wasn't being a burden after all. It just saved us._

"That was too close!" Mark sighed. "What happened anyways?"

"Kadabra saved us, Mark." Jake admitted.

"Hah! See? Kadabra wasn't being a burden! It saved us!" Mark laughed. "You were wrong!"

"Ugh...Quit boasting and focus on our fight. So what if I was wrong? Nobody's perfect." The raven-haired boy shrugged.

"Oh, by the way!" Mark suddenly chirped.

"What?"

"My name is Nobody, meaning I'm perfect!" Mark laughed.

"Ugh..." _How did I get reduced to teaming up with this guy again? Oh yeah, because Cipher is impossible to beat unless I join them. Poor me,_ Jake thought. "Just shut up and watch your Pikachu already!"

"Okay, okay! Stupid..." Mark turned just in time to see Shadow Pikachu deliver a blast of black electricity and electrocute the Swampert. "Oh yeah! We did it!"

Absol quickly came out from his hiding place and jumped up on the spikes, landing beside Raichu. As Shadow Pikachu hopped toward them, she never saw Swampert struggling to its feet. Never saw it open its mouth to unleash a Shadow Pump. Never saw the attack quickly crashing toward her. Neither Pokemon had time to cry out, to warn her, nor did the Snaggers. All they could do was watch as the attack prepared to collide with her.

They didn't have time to but it wasn't needed. Just as Shadow Pikachu turned to see the attack, she was shocked to see another Pikachu standing between her and the attack. It was Mark's Pikachu! He nodded to her and she smiled mischievously. Attacking as one, they unleashed every last bit of electricity they had to destroy the attack. It worked! Not only did it destroy the attack but it defeated the Swampert, allowing Mark to finally catch it.

"But...that Pikachu was...No!" Rosalean twirled around to see the rest of the Snaggers getting up. "But how? How did you get out?!"

"My Sneasel got us out." Alex replied, smirking. "You should've taken our Poke Balls away when you caught us, but you didn't."

"And that gave us the chance to get out. I guess we have to thank you for that." Luffy chuckled, grabbing Croakgunk's Poke Ball.

"Hey, Mark! Get ready because we're coming!" Will shouted.

"All right!" Mark cheered.

Rosalean instantly backed away, allowing the Snaggers to pass by her and reunite with their so-called leader, Mark. After introducing Jake to the team, the eleven Snaggers prepared to fight once more. _Darn it! I can't believe they all got out like that._ Then it hit her. Sabrina hadn't passed her! Twirling around, she saw Sabrina standing up, her Kadabra by her side.

"Mark, you can finish her Pokemon off. I'll deal with Rosalean." Sabrina said.

"Sure, why not? Let's get ready, guys!" Mark cried.

"Urrr...Fine! Marshtomp, Wooper, and Wartortle! Get ready to attack!" Rosalean yelled, tossing three Poke Balls into the field. She quickly turned to face Sabrina. "Now what?"

"You'll have to face me now." Sabrina replied.

"Floatzel, come out! We're fighting the Gym Leader...again." The otter Pokemon jumped out and bared his fangs, prepared to fight against Sabrina's Kadabra. "Let's do this!"

"Gladly," the psychic nodded. "Kadabra, use Psychic,"

"Floatzel, Shadow Pump!" Rosalean shouted. Their attacks collided and the battle between the Gym Leaders began.

"Pikachu!" Mark cried, hugging his Pikachu. Shadow Pikachu stood by his feet, staring at Pikachu in awe. When Mark put him down, she hugged the male Pikachu and giggled. "I think she really likes him."

"If you let them breed, you'll get a Shadow Pokemon offspring." Jake warned.

"Huh?" KC asked. "Is that even possible? A baby Shadow Pokemon hatching from an egg?"

"It happened to my Umbreon, so it is possible." The older boy looked at his Umbreon, who had glowing red eyes and dark blue rings on his fur as proof of his Shadow Pokemon heritage. "But the offspring have differences from the original. For instance, my Umbreon has dark blue rings instead of the blood red rings of the original, which Mark has in his possession."

"Whoa, you're right!" Roen gasped. "He does look different from Mark's Shadow Umbreon. Cool!"

"Guys, we have a battle to fight." Zack reminded.

"Actually, that would be three battles." Ookami corrected.

"They're right. Let's get ready." Ryan nodded.

The eleven Snaggers turned to face their opponents. A dark purple Wartortle with a black shell faced them, growling. Beside it stood a dark blue Wooper and a dark blue Marshtomp with red spiked cheeks. All three Shadow Pokemon looked prepared to fight. Mark sighed, his fingertips brushing against Snow's Poke Ball. _Maybe an Aura Sphere could knock them out quickly,_ he thought, pulling her Poke Ball out.

The moment he released the white Mew, he was barraged with questions by his companions. They mainly asked where he had got it and how long he had it. Once he answered their questions, he turned to the three Shadow Pokemon. "Everyone mind lending their powers to Mew?" he asked.

"Why?" Leena asked.

"Mew seems to be able to absorb different elemental attacks into her Aura Sphere." Mark explained. "If we all attack together, we might be able to win faster. But we should probably save the Aura Sphere combo in case Rosalean pulls out another super-strong Pokemon."

"Like that Swampert," Jake pointed out.

"Yeah, like that." Mark nodded. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready!!" everyone shouted.

"Then let's do this!" Mark cried.

"Sneasel, show those guys who's boss! Ice Beam!" Alex ordered.

"Infernape, use Mach Punch!" Luffy said.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Mark finished.

Sneasel quickly froze the Wartortle, who broke out seconds later and unleashed a Shadow Gun. Dodging the attack, the Ice/Dark-type attacked with Fury Swipes before backing up. Wartortle growled and darted forward, attempting to bite him. Sneasel continued dodging, searching for an opening. A strange energy was building up inside of him but Sneasel held it back. He didn't want that, not yet!

Infernape continued punching, sometimes landing hits and sometimes not. Marshtomp kept escaping it, forcing the fire monkey into chasing it. Finally cornering the Water-type, it pulled back its fist to attack and was instantly doused in water. Hissing in pain, Infernape backed up enough to allow Marshtomp an escape route. Just as the Marshtomp thought it was safe, it ran right into someone's arm and crashed to the ground.

"Will! Thanks a ton!" Luffy said, smiling as Will's own Infernape laughed.

When Marshtomp opened its eyes, it saw two Infernape perched over it. It shook its head as hard as it could but the illusion wouldn't fade. Then it realized that it was no illusion. There really were two Infernape attacking it now! Both pulled back their fists, mimicking the other.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" Will ordered.

"Mach Punch, Infernape!" Luffy shouted.

Marshtomp could only scream in pain as both Infernape attacked, defeating it in a matter of seconds. After Mark captured it, the two Fire/Fighting-types exchanged high-fives and howled in victory. Luffy and Will laughed. KC simply shook his head. _Looks like it's the attack of the Infernapes,_ he thought, smiling.

Pikachu pounced, landing on the Wooper and shocking it. As he backed away, the Wooper attempted to fight back. Another bolt of pure black electricity knocked it out before it had the chance though, allowing Mark to capture it. Pikachu turned to see Shadow Pikachu behind him, smiling mischievously. "Pika pika," she said. "Pika pi..."

"Pika pi!" he nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Chu..."

"Pikachu pika pi!" she cried, hugging him.

"Pika...pi!" he choked.

"Hey, let go of him." Mark couldn't help laughing upon seeing the scene. "You're choking him, Shadow Pikachu!"

"Pika?" She let go and smiled, leaping onto the green-haired boy's shoulder. "Pika pika!"

"Pika..." Pikachu got up and shook himself off before leaping onto Mark's other shoulder. "Pika pi! Pi pikachu!"

"Pika pi? Pika!" Shadow Pikachu snapped.

"Pika!"

"Come on, guys. Quit fighting." Mark said. "You have to get along if you're both gonna ride on my shoulders. Okay?"

"Pika!" both Pikachu nodded.

"Good!" Mark smiled. _I guess Shadow Pikachu is able to trust me. Maybe she'll even come to be nicer and less reckless later on._

Sneasel hissed, swiping his claws across the sleek black surface of the Wartortle's shell. It had withdrawn a few minutes ago and it was aggravating him to no end. As he kept scratching, a jet of black water shot out and nailed him in the chest, throwing him back a few feet. Shaking off the cold water, Sneasel glared as the Water-type stood up again. "Sneasel sneas..."

Wartortle laughed and prepared a final Shadow Gun, only to be thrown off its feet as Sneasel kicked its legs out from under it. A huge pile of snow crashed down on it, ending the battle. Sneasel let out a call, watching as his trainer dug through the snow to capture the Wartortle. Then he got a terrible feeling just as Alex uncovered it. "Sneasel sneas! Sneas sneas!" he cried, seeing the Shadow Pokemon's eyes snap open again.

"Sneasel, what's the matter with you?" Alex asked, reaching down to grab the Wartortle. Then pain exploded through her hand as the Water-type bit her. Alex screamed.

"Sneasel..." the Ice/Dark-type growled. "Sneasel sneasel! Sneasel sneas!" He charged, claws glinting viciously as he struck.

Hearing the blue-haired girl's scream, Ookami quickly raced to her side to help stop the bleeding. "Alex, are you okay?" the brunette cried.

"Yeah, I'm—Look out!" Alex screamed.

Ookami turned in time to see the Wartortle escape Sneasel, heading directly for them. Having only seconds to make a decision, the brunette shoved Alex to the ground and took the attack herself. As the claws tore through her green T-shirt and drew blood along her right shoulder, Ookami held back a scream and quickly struck back. Her long fingernails scratched the Water-type's cheek and sent it crashing to the ground.

"Ookami, are you okay?" Alex asked. "You're hurt! Why'd you do that?!"

"You're hurt too, I hope you know." Ookami pointed out, shaking as her left hand covered the injuries to her shoulder. "As for why I did it, I...I'd rather be the one who is injured instead of the one who stands by as her friends are injured. You, my friends, mean more to me than anything in the whole world!"

"Ookami..." Alex whispered. Then a loud screech tore through the air. "Oh no! Sneasel!"

The two girls turned just in time to see Sneasel smash the Wartortle's head into the concrete floor. Backing up, the Ice/Dark-type smirked. Alex grabbed the Snag Ball to her belt and captured it, unable to tear her eyes from Sneasel. Something was...off about him. Sneasel seems so much stronger and...

Then he started to glow a bright white. Sneasel screeched in alarm, staring at Alex in fear. "He's evolving!" Ookami cried.

But Alex knew better. Sure, Sneasel was evolving but he didn't want to. "Sneasel, fight it! If you don't want to evolve, fight back!" Alex ordered.

"Sneasel?" Sneasel squeaked before nodding. He focused deeply, resisting the urge to evolve. _Not yet, not yet...Don't let me evolve just yet,_ he begged. Slowly, the glow faded until Sneasel was back to normal. He checked himself over, grateful to have avoided evolving just yet.

"Why didn't you want him to evolve?" Ookami asked.

"Because that is what Sneasel wanted." Alex replied. "Ever since I hatched him, Sneasel has hated Weavile for one reason or another. He made it his goal to prove he didn't need to evolve in order to grow stronger. Even now, he is still trying to achieve that goal."

"...Do you think he'll succeed?" the brunette hesitantly asked.

"Yeah...I think he will, Ookami." Alex nodded. "Even if it takes years to achieve, I know Sneasel will do it. He's nearly there. He just needs to get a little bit more and he'll be there. Maybe then he'll evolve into a Weavile."

"Do you want him to evolve?"

"I really don't know. I sorta do but I sorta don't. It's hard to describe."

"That's alright," Ookami smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out one day."

"Yeah...one day,"

A loud howl brought everyone's attention to the battle between Rosalean and Sabrina, and it looked like Sabrina had just won. Mark quickly grabbed a Snag Ball, only to watch as Rosalean returned the Floatzel before he could even toss it. The redhead backed up and allowed Sabrina to stand alongside the Snaggers. "Did we win?" Will asked.

"Not yet you haven't!" Rosalean growled, grabbing her last Poke Ball and tossing it. _I'm not out yet. You Snaggers will pay for beating Mist!_ "Blastoise, prepare to end this battle!"

"Holy Arceus!" Luffy yelped.

A Blastoise was bigger than a normal one by at least another foot taller. It had deep blue skin and a black shell with two silver cannons protruding from the top of the shell. Glowing red eyes narrowed as the massive Water-type bellowed, stomping one large foot and making tremors. The cannons shifted position, aiming directly for the Snaggers and Sabrina. It bellowed again, even louder than before.

"Blastoise, use Shadow Pump!"

A huge blast of water exploded from the cannons and the Snaggers scattered to escape it. Mark nodded to Snow, who had been flying beside him ever since he let her out. The white Mew purred and shot high into the air. "Everyone, let out your Pokemon and help Snow!" he shouted.

_A white Mew?!_ Rosalean thought, shocked. _How many darn surprises are these brats going to pull out? We already captured a Mew and then a second one appears. How is this possible? Unless...No, that's impossible!_ "Blastoise, prepare you Shadow Hydro Cannon!" _Please no. Please don't let it be possible!_

"Everyone ready?" Mark called.

"YEAH!!"

"Then let's do this! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Shadow Pikachu, use Shadow Bolt!"

"Sneasel, Ice Beam!"

"Infernape, Mach Punch!"

"Poison Sting, Drapion!"

"Yaiba, use Leaf Blade!"

"Thunderbolt, Rotom!"

"Shadow Rave, Umbreon! Absol, throw in a Razor Wind!"

"Kadabra, Psychic!"

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

"Dragonair, show them your Hyper Beam!"

"Yanmega, Silver Wind,"

"Pidgeotto, finish it up with Steel Wing!"

All fourteen attacks were absorbed into the Aura Sphere that Snow was creating in her small pinkish-white paws. The albino Mew looked up, red eyes flashing as her attack was ready for launch. Rosalean stiffened, suddenly very afraid. "Snow, do it! Elemental Aura Sphere!" Mark shouted.

"Meeeeeew!" Snow cried, tossing the attack toward Blastoise at high speed.

"Blastoise, do—" Rosalean was too late in her command, watching as the attack collided with Blastoise's chest. The Water-type bellowed, hurtling backward and crashing into the gym wall with enough force to tear a truck in half. The wall quickly caved in, causing Blastoise to collapse partially into the next room. "Blastoise! No, this can't be happening!"

"Well, it's happening!" Roen deadpanned. "We won, guys!"

Snow cried in joy, flying into Mark's arms and cuddling against his cheek. "We did it, Snow. Great job, girl!" While he held Snow, he tossed another Snag Ball and captured the giant Blastoise. "We won, Rosalean. Now drop the badge and leave Saffron alone."

"No..." Tears pricked the corners of the redhead's eyes. _I couldn't do it. I couldn't get them back for you, Mist. I lost, too. I lost..._ "Fine, I'll leave!" She dropped her Chain Badge to the ground and stomped off, teleporting away. _I'm sorry, Mist. I failed..._

"Alright, we won!" Zack cheered, stroking his red Gyarados' scales. She growled in pleasure, nearly knocking her blonde trainer over when she rubbed her great head against his shoulder. "Hey, watch it, girl! Don't forget, I'm smaller than you."

Jake simply watched as the Snaggers congratulated each other and returned their Pokemon. His green eyes lingered on the albino Mew for a second before watching her vanish into her Poke Ball. Sabrina thanked them all before turning to clean up her ruined gym. As the Snaggers headed out the gym doors, the raven-haired boy followed them.

"Thanks for all your help, Jake." Mark thanked. He turned to see the sun setting. "Looks like we have to stay in Saffron tonight. We can ride to Cinnabar on Zack's Gyarados tomorrow so we can see Blaine."

"What are you gonna do, Jake?" KC asked.

"I have a request." Jake said.

"Anything! You helped me so I'll do anything to repay you." Mark offered. "...Okay, maybe not _anything_ but you know what I mean."

Jake nodded. "I wish to join your group. My goal is to rid the world of Shadow Pokemon and to do that, I must defeat Cipher. But as you can see, it can't be done by one person. Will you have me as an ally?"

"Sure, why not?" Alex laughed. "We could use someone like you in our group."

"Thanks," Jake smiled.

"Also, I have something for KC and Luffy." Mark suddenly said. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Master Ball. "The Silph Co. President gave it to me. I already have an idea of what to do with it."

"What is it?" Luffy asked.

Mark sighed. _I'm sorry for asking this, guys._ "I need either KC or Luffy to capture Darkrai with this Master Ball." He finally said.

"What?!" KC cried.

"Forget it, Mark! We can't do that!" Luffy argued. "Darkrai won't accept it and neither will our dad!"

"Luffy, we don't have a choice!" Mark snapped. "Cipher will eventually come looking for Darkrai, meaning they'll do anything to get Darkrai away from you two. With Darkrai roaming free, you're practically waving a sign saying 'Here's a wild Darkrai, come and catch it!'"

"I know what you mean but—" Luffy started.

"Hang on, guys! I have a better plan." Will butted in. "Maybe Darkrai can keep roaming until Cipher comes to try and catch it. Once that happens, we'll keep Darkrai in sight and close by. And if bad goes to worse, Luffy or KC can catch it. That sound good?"

"Yeah," KC nodded.

"Luffy, I'm sorry." Mark apologized. "I was just trying to do what I thought was best for the team...and for Darkrai."

"Hey, it's all right. I overreacted a bit too." The older boy said. "I just don't like the idea of putting Darkrai in a Poke Ball. I'm used to Darkrai being out and about. Catching it would be like betraying our dad. Dad worked hard to get Darkrai's trust and...Well, catching it would be like going back on that trust. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," the green-haired boy nodded. "Are we still friends?"

"Of course we are!" Luffy laughed. "I can't keep a grudge for long anyways!"

"Glad to hear that!" Mark smiled.

"I think we should head for the Pokemon Center and get some sleep, guys." Jake suggested. "We've all had a rough day and I think we deserve a break."

"Yeah, I think so too!" Ookami nodded. She suddenly yelped, her shoulder flaring in pain.

"Ookami, you're hurt!" Roen cried. "What happened?"

"She defended me from a Wartortle, Roen." Alex explained. "I got bitten and she got slashed."

"You should have Nurse Joy check those injuries then," Ryan said.

"Good idea, Ryan," Leena agreed. "You two need any help getting there?"

"I'm fine," the brunette replied. "I can still walk."

"So can I, but thanks for offering, Leena." Alex thanked.

"No problem, Alex. Now let's head for that Pokemon Center!" Leena cried.

"Yeah!" Zack cheered.

As the eleven kids headed for the Pokemon Center, a familiar blonde swordsman glared down at them from the top of the Silph Co. building. "So, another one has joined them." Dart spat, his fists clenching around his sword. "Just how long will it take for them to fall?!"

"Dart, let's go back now. The boss is waiting for my report and you need to keep an eye on Blazer, remember?" Rosalean reminded, standing nearby him. Her eyes were slightly red.

"Coming from the girl who broke down over not being able to defeat a group of children for the sake of that stupid white-haired psychic!" Dart countered. "Just who do you think you are, giving _me_ orders?!"

"S-shut up! Fine, stay here all alone!" Twirling on her heel, she teleported back to the Cipher island base.

"...Stupid women," Dart grumbled, watching as the Snaggers vanished within the Pokemon Center before teleporting back home himself. "I'll go vent my anger out on Blazer since whitey hasn't left his room since he lost." With that, he was gone.

_Cerulean City, Luffy and KC's house..._

Darrien sighed, watching as the sky grew darker and darker with each passing minute. It had nearly been three weeks since his two sons had left to help defeat Cipher and he hasn't heard a word from them since. He was becoming increasingly worried but forced himself to remain calm. He had to protect Cerulean while his sons were gone. That was his job now.

A low grunt sounded beside him and he sighed, reaching out a hand to pet the rough skin of his Rhyhorn. It had been years since he had lasted used his Pokemon in battle and he was suddenly wondering why he gave up Pokemon training all those years ago. Oh yeah, because he was afraid Cipher would take them from him.

"Vivian, please tell me the boys are okay." He sniffed, a tear trickling down his cheek. He had never fully gotten over his wife's death and still felt like the world was slowly breaking all around him, even now after all these years. The only things holding him together were his two sons.

The raven-haired man's eyes trailed to the paper held in his hand. It held a message, a name, and a phone number. The phone number had been disconnected but the message and name remained clear as day. It puzzled him even now as to what it really meant. His eyes scanned it once more like it had thousands of times before.

"Dear Darrien, there is something I have been wishing to tell you ever since we got married. The day when KC was born, he was not the only child I had. I had another child, one from another man whom I had a crush on long ago but had since avoided. I'm sorry I never told you about him. Not long after his birth, my second son was stolen from the hospital without a trace. I was deeply devastated and became deeply depressed, possibly the reason for my illness. I hope you can accept what I have done. My second son has dirty blonde hair like his father but he had my blue eyes. If you ever find him, I hope you can accept him as your own once I am gone. –Vivian"

Darrien sighed, glancing at the name. Bradley. How ironic was it that that name happened to have been his father's name? He leaned back in his chair, suddenly more exhausted. He had received the letter three years after Vivian's death and had kept it close to him ever since, continuing to search for his wife's child. _I promise you, Vivian. If I find him, I'll ensure that he'll never be unloved in this world. That much I promise, Vivian. I swear on it..._

Long after Darrien had fallen asleep, Brad teleported into the room. Standing beside the ex-Cipher professor, the blue-eyed boy stared at him. _He doesn't look like me all that much,_ Brad thought. _So this is the father of Luffy and KC. This is my mother's first husband. Is my real dad dead?_

"...I'm glad I got to meet you, dad." Brad muttered softly. "Maybe we can meet face-to-face for real...when I finally come back here. Goodbye..." The dirty blonde-haired boy teleported away.

Darrien rolled over in his sleep. "I'll find you, Brad...I promise..."

_On the island that houses Cipher, bath house..._

Blazer sighed, resting on his stomach on an inflatable lounge floatie in the pool. His bright red hair, divided by a single streak of yellow along the top, was sticking in different directions in a messy style. As much as his Pokemon despised water, Blazer enjoyed a cool dip after a day of rough training. And the training had only seemed to get rougher now that he had Molt to train.

Speaking of Molt, the Cipher Gym Leader looked up to search for the redhead brat. The 18-year-old redhead was sitting by the pool, trying to coax Flareon to come in. "Come on, Flare. It's really nice, I swear."

"Forget it, Molt! She won't go in." Blazer barked.

"I bet she will!" the defiant redhead replied. "Come on, Flare. It's okay, I'll catch you. Come on!"

Much to the 20-year-old Cipher Gym Leader's surprise, the Fire-type actually jumped into the water...and quickly clawed her way into Molt's arms. "...Whoa. She actually went in."

"Told you so!"

"So?"

"Blazer, I have a message for you." It was Florence, and she had a grim look on her face. "Prepare to leave for Cinnabar Island in the morning. The Snaggers just defeated Rosalean and will be aiming for you next."

"Whoa, that was fast!" Blazer laughed, rolling off the floatie and wading his way to the shallows where Molt was. "Seems only like yesterday that they beat Dart and now they're three-fourths of the way there. About time they reached me."

"Can I come too?" Molt suddenly asked.

"Absolutely not!" Florence snapped. "The Snaggers must be pretty powerful if they've managed to reach Blazer. They'll crush you in an instant, Molt!"

"But—"

"Hey, let the kid come." Blazer said. "The best way to perfect your technique is to test it out in a real battle. Molt's been doing real well since we started and I think he might stand a chance. Sure, it's real slim but it's still there."

"Blazer, are you nuts?!" Florence shouted.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Blazer shrugged. "Plus, he's _my_ apprentice. I'll do whatever I want with him and I say he goes with me. And what I say goes, right? Good!"

"Urrr...Fine! Do what you want! I don't care anyways!" Florence stomped away, her face red with anger.

"Man, she sure knows how to blow a gasket when she's peeved." Blazer chuckled. "Molt, go get packed up. We're leaving real early tomorrow for Cinnabar Island Gym. Get ready to face our threat head-on."

"Yes, sir!" Molt nodded, climbing out of the pool while carrying a sopping-wet Flareon in his arms. "Thanks for letting me come with, sir."

"Whatever, Molt." Blazer grumbled. "First-hand experience is the only way you can learn, right? Now get out of here before Quilava blows fire on your behind."

"Yes, sir! Bye!" Molt ran all the way back to his room like the hounds of hell were after him.

Blazer smiled and walked back to his own room. _Gets them every time,_ he inwardly laughed. He slammed his door shut and quickly changed. _All right, you Snaggers. You're up against me now so you better be ready. I won't go easy on you and I'm not gonna be nice. Expect one heck of a battle from me, brats!_

_Saffron City Pokemon Center..._

"There! Done!" Leena declared, cutting the extra bandages off with a snip of her scissors. The raven-haired teen smiled. "How is it, you two? Too tight? Too loose? Come on, tell me!"

"It's...fine, Leena." Ookami said. "Thank you for taking care of us."

"Of course, Ookami! We girls have to stick together now with eight boys traveling with us." Leena chuckled.

Alex kept brushing her fingers against the bandage tied around her right hand. "Thanks, Leena. We're going to Cinnabar tomorrow, right? I wonder how Blaine is doing."

"I'm sure he's fine." Leena reassured.

"We won't know for sure until tomorrow, though." The brunette pointed out.

"Yeah..." The blue-haired girl rested her back against the bed frame, sighing.

Leena smiled mischievously. "I heard there's a hot spring on Cinnabar Island. Maybe when we get there, we can check it out for ourselves."

"Oh, really?" Ookami asked, shocked. "I've never been to a hot spring before but I've heard they help relax you. Right, Alex?"

"I've heard that too but I'm not so sure. I've never been to one so I'd never know." Alex replied.

"Well, I have and it's true!" the raven-haired girl barked. "I guarantee you guys will love it!"

"Speaking of guys, I wonder how they're doing." Ookami suddenly wondered.

"They're probably goofing off like the guys they are." Leena muttered, digging through her bag to grab her nightgown. "I'm getting ready for bed. How about you guys?"

"I'll get ready after you." Ookami said.

"I'm...I'm gonna check on Mark before I hit the sack." Alex finally mumbled. "I'll be back in a bit, guys. See you..." She stood up and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Ookami asked.

"Who knows? Let her deal with it." Leena shrugged. "Be careful when you put your top on, Ookami. You might bleed through the bandages and get blood on your clothes."

"I'll be careful!" the brunette promised.

Alex sighed, walking down the hall toward the room Mark was currently in. Opening the door, she peered in. "Hey, is Mark in here?" she asked.

Luffy and Will glanced up, surprised to see Alex so late at night. KC was already curled up in bed, sleeping. "Sorry, he's not here right now." Luffy replied. "I think he went downstairs."

"He said something about needing some fresh air." Will added. "Maybe it has to do with KC farting a few minutes ago."

"...Ew!" Alex quickly slammed the door, growling. _Stupid boys and their gross habits! That's sick!_ She walked down the stairs and headed out the door of the Pokemon Center. Seeing Mark down the street near the entrance to Route 6, she walked toward him. "Hey, Mark. What are you doing down here?"

"The city's too bright and I can't see the night sky all that well." The green-haired boy replied. "Maybe that's why I hate the big cities. I like the open country where you can see the sky at any time."

"Oh..." Alex sat down beside him. "...Where _did_ you get that Mew? Were you hiding it all this time?"

"Her," Mark corrected. "And no, I wasn't hiding her. Anna gave her to me when I was in the Silph Co. building."

"Anna?! What did she say?" Alex demanded.

"Well, she...um..." Mark blushed at the memory of the ghost girl kissing him. "She, um...she kissed me and said something about taking care of Mist. Weird, huh?"

"She _kissed_ you?!" Alex cried, blushing.

"Um, yeah...she did." Mark nodded.

"..." Alex shook her head. "Well, whatever..." They remained in silence for a while before she spoke again. "We're nearly there, Mark."

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "After Cinnabar and Viridian, we can challenge the Elite Four and the Champion. Then Kanto will be free and we can move on."

"Mark?" Alex asked. "What'll happen to everyone once we beat Cipher?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what'll happen to us?" Alex repeated. "Is everyone going to go away, to leave? Will we ever see them again? Are these guys just sticking around until Cipher is defeated and then they'll just leave? That's what I mean!" Tears were appearing in the corners of her blue eyes.

"Alex..." Mark knew Alex and how she treated friends. She hated separation and probably enjoyed having friends forever. But she did bring up a good point. _What will everyone do once this is all over? Will everyone leave or will they stay? Arceus, why must this be so hard on us?!_ "I...I really don't know. But I think KC will definitely stay." _He'll stay for you, Alex...because he loves you._

"I just wish...I just wish everybody would stay!" Alex cried, burying her face in her hands.

Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her. "I can't make any promises, Alex. I want everyone to stay too but that might not be possible. But even if we separate, we'll still be a part of each other. We'll never forget about our adventures together. And, even if it's years later, maybe we'll all meet again."

"Really?"

"Really,"

"...Thanks, Mark."

"Sure, Alex." Mark nodded, standing up. "Let's go inside. It's getting cold and I'm pretty sure we're tired. I bet everyone's asleep already."

"Maybe,"

The two Snaggers headed back toward the Pokemon Center. As they reached the second floor, they separated to their own rooms. Alex got dressed and crawled under the covers of her bed, smiling. "Night, guys," she whispered. _Even if you all leave, we'll still be friends...friends forever...forever and ever..._

_On the island housing Cipher, Poindexter's room..._

Poindexter sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "There, we're all done. You can leave any day now, Mist, Freeze, Brad."

"Thanks for all you've done, Poindexter." Mist thanked. "We're in your debt."

"You can pay me back by handing over my computer chip." The brunette demanded, holding out a hand.

Mist smiled, reaching into his pocket and dropping the computer chip into Poindexter's hand. "I guess you deserve to get it back now, Poindexter." Mist muttered.

"So, when do we leave?" Freeze asked, leaning against the wall. "I want to get out of here already!"

"Well, we're done early." Brad pointed out. "Maybe we can escape early?"

"Tomorrow night sounds good," Mist suggested. "We can leave then. Everyone, even the boss', attention will be on Blazer leaving for Cinnabar Island and the inevitable battle he will have with the Snaggers."

"Okay then, tomorrow it is." Poindexter declared.

"Tomorrow," Mist nodded.

"Tomorrow," Freeze agreed.

"Tomorrow!" Brad cheered. _I'm coming, Luffy, KC, dad! I'm coming home now!_

"Well, go pack your bags and bring them here." Poindexter instructed. "Try to be discreet. We don't want anyone finding us out now that we're so close to getting out of this darn place for good."

"Yeah, good idea." The blue-haired boy nodded, amber eyes flashing eagerly. _I'm finally gonna find those Snaggers and get strong enough to beat Electra! You'll pay for what you did to us back then, Electra. The Elementals aren't dead yet, not while I'm still alive!_

_Anna, I'm finally getting out of here,_ Mist thought, smiling. _Cipher won't get away with what they did. I'll find a way to destroy them once and for all. I promise I'll avenge your death, Anna._

As the trio of escapees left to pack their bags for their escape, Poindexter looked at his computer chip with glee before frowning. "I won't be around for long, definitely not long enough to crack this thing's code." He scribbled a note on a stray piece of paper and slipped the chip into the box marked 'Mist's Things' before tapping his finger on the keyboard. His glasses glared white from the glow of the computer screen. "Why me?"

Unaware to him, Dart was standing just behind the door, out of the hacker's sight. The blonde grinned maniacally and slipped away, walking toward his room to retrieve his sword. Tomorrow night would be very interesting indeed. _Sorry, Mist, but you're not getting away that easily. I still have something important to tell you...something you definitely won't like. See you tomorrow, whitey!_ He vanished into the darkness, still grinning.

**Next Chapter:** Trial by Fire

Jake sighed, staring at Blaine. The Cinnabar Gym Leader was covered in minor burns and, despite his injuries, still refused to give up on getting his gym back. "I'm fine. We should get going and teach that gym-stealing brat a lesson." The bald man demanded.

"Don't worry, Blaine! There'll be plenty of time for that later." Mark reassured. "But for now, maybe you should rest up a little more before we head for the gym."

"...Fine. But only for another hour." Blaine snapped. "I want my gym back as soon as possible!"

"Yeah, we know." Luffy chuckled, nodding.

"Hey, guys?" Will called. "I think we have a goon outside."

"What?!" Ookami yelped. "I thought we beat them all already!"

"So did I but obviously, we didn't." Mark growled.

Far below, Molt stood outside with Flare by his side. _So, they're the Snaggers. I wonder if Freeze is with them already. If he is, he'll be impressed by how strong I am now!_ Molt waited patiently, only to stare in horror as Leena stood before him. "You!"

"Oh, great. It's you again." Leena groaned. "Do you have to kick your butt a second time?"

Molt gulped in fear. _Just great! Why do I have to fight Leena again?!_

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So, how was it? Man, this was a fast update! I'll be updating PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness ASAP for those of you who have been reading it. Sorry about its delay. Evil school... Winter has officially started here since snow is now on the ground. It's not thick or deep snow but it is still cold. Brrrr!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm off to write chapter 9 of PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness, and maybe write the next chapter to PMD2: Seven Sorrows too. Please vote in my poll if you are a fan of PMD2: Explorations if you want the prequel to be uploaded! Thank you. Please review!


	31. Chapter 31: Trial by Fire

Hi, everyone! I'm glad you all like the story so far! I have also posted this story on my page too for those who want to read it there (I'm still posting the current chapters, so there's only four up at the moment). I guess I'll have to thank you all individually now:

**Ketchum Kid**, I really love your character and how he's a spy for the Ranger Union. You practically read my mind (I was planning on adding a Pokemon Ranger to the story but it seems you have that covered now)! If you want, Darkrai could be called upon by Luffy, KC, Brad, _and_ TK, but that's your choice depending on how you think Darkrai could help TK (but don't forget about Darkrai's inevitable capture later on, though he could still be called upon but not captured beyond that point). I really love your character! I'll have him pop up briefly in this chapter.

**Pit Fan**, I'm glad you enjoyed the part about Mark getting Snow the Mew. You'll learn more about Snow in later chapters, particularly during the Cipher Elite Four. Blacky sounds like a very unique character and I already have ideas about why her Pokemon are the way they are (maybe they were Cipher's first experiments before they returned to creating Shadow Pokemon) unless you have any specific reason why they are that way. I especially love how Hannah's name contrasts with her hair color (she seems to have no black on her unless her phoenix tattoo is entirely black ink). I made it so everyone calls her Blacky but Mark calls her Hannah. Hope you don't mind... She'll pop up in this chapter and join the group. Thanks for the ideas and characters!

**zephyr51**, I'm happy you love the story so much. It makes me glad to know my reviewers think my story is both good and well-written. Roen will play a bigger part later on and more of his past will be revealed soon. Hey, tell your brother to drop another review sometime if he can. Thanks for the reviews and character!

**Mossnose**, thank you for all the information on the Ryuuyuki family and Ookami's life. I have a lot planned for her in the future, especially with her being connected to a certain Legendary... I'll add some more interaction between her and her cousins as soon as possible. I already have ideas for why her pendant reacted to Leena's black egg and why her family is so dangerous to outsiders. Thanks for the characters and ideas!

**DigiDrew**, the battle against Blazer will be in the next chapter. I plan to have the three Infernape (Will's, Luffy's, and Jake's) team up a few more times in the future. Beware of the Infernape! Will is going to be a big part in helping Mark beat Cipher as time goes on. That's what rivals do after all. Thanks you for the reviews and characters!

**KCSonic113**, I have Darkrai's capture all planned out but it will be a while (probably during the Cipher Elite Four battles, though I'm not entirely sure just yet) before it actually happens. The agents will run into some problems escaping and Mist will finally unravel the biggest mystery about Anna's death in the next chapter. I hope you can update your own Pokemon stories soon, I enjoyed reading them. Also, could you include a list of Brad's current Shadow Pokemon (if you have anything specific for him, that is)? It would be appreciated very much. Thanks for the characters and ideas!

**Yonoka Takai**, I'm glad you enjoy the arguments. I agree, arguing can reveal quite a lot about a character's character (ha-ha!) and their views on certain things. I'm happy that you enjoy my work so far just as much as I enjoy writing it. I have lots in store for how Eden knew Moltres and Articuno were captured, what Leena meant by 'that shadow will take over again' in Lavender Town when she was looking for the Snaggers, and the whole mystery of the black egg Eden found. Thanks for the reviews and characters!

**DR2334**, thank you for my 100th review! Unfortunately, I will end up killing a few of my characters in the future, though not a lot of them (sob, I can't believe I'm actually doing that, sob). I've very rarely succeeded in killing any of my characters in my other stories, so only two stories feature a character death (PMD2: To Betray the Ones You Love and PMD: Wrath of A Shadow Eevee). I have a lot in store for Freeze and Molt in the future, including a possible battle between the twins later on. Thanks for the ideas and characters!

**Mist-Sensei**, I know you have been reading my stories and have been unable to review but thanks for the support anyways. I have a battle all planned out between Mist and Dart but it might not happen until the gang reaches Johto or even Hoenn. I also have plans for Axl, your new character, as well. Thank you for the continuous support, ideas, characters, and help. IM me if you can so we can discuss that PMD story you wanted to write. Thanks again!

I hope I thanked everyone up there. Even if I forgot you, please know that I am truly thankful to you all for reading this story and giving me the drive to keep writing this. I'll be going on a cruise to Jamaica on December 13th, so my update after this one might be a bit late. Sorry ahead of time for that. I'm glad you all like this so far. Onto the story!

Chapter 31: Trial by Fire

"Are you absolutely sure that the Snaggers had a white Mew with them?" Prof. Pine demanded. He and Rosalean were walking down a hallway, discussing her defeat and Snow's appearance.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure!" the redhead snapped. "She was pure white with pink on her paws and bright red eyes. She also could absorb any attack with her Aura Sphere and add it to her own power. It looks like the leader, Mark, had captured her."

"This isn't good," Pine muttered, rubbing his chin. "I heard that the Legendaries were capable of having more than one of their species. Celebi is said to live in every time zone possible and a new Entei is said to be born with each new volcano. It could be possible that we caught a normal Mew while the white one managed to find and join the Snaggers. But how did she know we were hunting for her?"

"Maybe she didn't know," Rosalean suggested. "Maybe she just found him and decided to join him."

"If that's true, it's ironic that she picked our enemies to join with." Pine argued. "Either way, we have a serious problem on our hands. Once the Cipher League is defeated, we may need to boost our security systems if they decide to attack the Kanto base."

"Is that white Mew really this dangerous?"

"Oh, she's not only dangerous but extremely smart," Pine explained. "That Mew is one of seven odd Pokemon we experimented on before returning to our Shadow Pokemon project."

"Odd Pokemon?" Rosalean asked. "Like how odd?"

"Well, in Mew's case, we boosted her intelligence and allowed her to absorb attacks around her to get stronger. Her fur turned white during the experimentation, though." Pine replied. "The other six were simply experiments we worked on in our spare time. Currently, the other six have been collected and captured by one trainer who we fear may become a threat in the future."

"Who has them? And how are those Pokemon odd?"

"...What would you think of a Pokemon that could run as fast as time itself?" Pine asked. "Or a Buizel that looks and acts like a Dragon-type Pokemon, yet it still swims like a Water-type? What about an Eevee that is a combination of all of its evolved forms plus a Dragon-type? Or a Staraptor as big as an Arcanine?"

"Well, I'd say that's impossible!" Rosalean snapped. "Nothing can match the speed of time aside from Celebi and Dialga! And Staraptor can't get that big! The others are just impossible creations!" Then it hit her. "...Are those how odd those experiments were?"

"Not just how odd, Rosalean, but those _are_ some of the experiments!" Pine exclaimed. "That is only four of the six, though. The other two simply have different coloration or design."

"You're kidding. Those kind of Pokemon actually exist?" Rosalean whispered.

"Only in the scientific world, Rosalean," Pine nodded. "Unfortunately, all six are in the hands of a young woman named Hannah, a.k.a. Blacky. She is currently wandering around the Seafoam Islands but was recently spotted heading for Cinnabar on Dragonite."

"But the Snaggers are heading for Cinnabar!" Rosalean cried.

"If they meet, it will only make things easier for us in the end."

"What?" Rosalean asked.

"I've been having trouble tracking Hannah. Her joining the Snaggers, if she chooses to do so, would make it much easier to keep tabs on her." Pine explained. "She's starting to believe that she is indeed being followed and has since fled from the mainland in hopes of evading us. She's made it a habit of using our experimented Pokemon to escape from us time and time again. It's becoming rather annoying, actually."

"Then why don't you just capture her?!"

"It's not as easy as it sounds!" Pine snapped. "With Pokemon such as the ones she has, it becomes nearly impossible to predict her next move. Her Pokemon know who we are and flee with Hannah the instant they see us."

"Ugh...that has to suck," Rosalean chuckled.

"Indeed," Pine nodded. "It seems we've reached the main entryway. Have you come to say your farewells to Blazer and Molt?"

"...Yeah,"

The two entered the giant hanger bay that served as an entryway for departing and returning Gym Leaders. Standing beside the Cipher helicopter was Blazer while Molt was inside, hugging his beloved Flareon to his chest. Blazer turned and waved, grinning like always with his sunglasses sliding down a bit to reveal his brown eyes. "See you losers later!" he laughed jokingly, hopping into the copter beside Molt.

"Showoff..."

"Huh?" Rosalean turned to see a strange boy around 15 standing beside her. "Who are you?"

She could see the boy better now that he was looking at her directly. He had blue eyes and brown hair that parted to the left, sticking up in the back toward the left. He wore a black and gold baseball cap on his head, an oversized dark blue hoodless sweatshirt with a jagged C on the front, blue jeans, black shoes, and a golden cape. "My name is Battonage, Cipher Gym Leader of Olivine in Johto." He replied.

"Well, I'm Rosalean of Saffron."

"You were the one who was just beaten, right?" Battonage asked.

"Urk!" _I'm gonna kill whoever spread that fact around!_ Rosalean vowed. "Uh, yeah. That was me. Why?"

"No need to feel ashamed," Battonage said gently. "Everyone loses at one time or another. Anyways, how many Snaggers actually defeated you? How did you lose?"

"Well..." She took a moment to count on her fingers. "Eleven Snaggers and Sabrina beat me. They had a white Mew named Snow use an Elemental Aura Sphere to beat my last Pokemon, my super-powered Blastoise, and catch it."

_Elemental Aura Sphere? White Mew?_ Battonage thought. _Perfect! Prof. Hastings was right! The white Mew was here! Now I just need to know who has it and wait for them to find me in Olivine._

"Um, Battonage?" Rosalean asked, snapping the younger boy out of his thoughts. "I think your phone is ringing."

"Phone?" Then he yelped, turning and running away just as someone's voice came through. "Sorry, gotta run! Maybe I'll talk to you later!"

"...What a weird boy," Rosalean muttered.

Battonage sighed, resting against a wall as he pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to reveal his modified Fine Styler. "Rhythmi, you nearly got me in trouble just now!" he snapped. "Why do you always seem to call when I'm about to find out something important?"

"I don't know, TK." Then he heard some other voices on the line. "TK, Chairperson Erma wants to speak with you."

"Okay, put her on." Battonage, a.k.a. TK, said. "But make it fast. I have to speak with Rosalean again before she leaves."

"Okay, here she is!" Rhythmi cried, getting off the line.

"Top Ranger Tristian Kapture, what have you found out?" Chairperson Erma asked from over the line.

TK smiled. "The mission's going perfectly, Chairperson Erma. I just found out that Prof. Hastings' theory about the white Mew's location was correct. She is currently with the Snaggers and heading for Cinnabar Island with them." He reported.

"Good, good," Erma said. "Continue with your mission. Remember, don't let your disguise slip for even a second in front of these people. You could be killed in an instant."

"I know, Chairperson Erma." TK nodded.

"Good. Keep up the good work." Erma said. "Over and out!"

"Bye, TK!" Rhythmi managed to say before the line cut.

TK, a Top Ranger of Almia in disguise as a Cipher Gym Leader, sighed and lowered his sleeve. "Man, do I have a tough job or what? And I'm only 15..." Getting up, he headed for the hanger bay again. "Better find Rosalean and find out everything about that white Mew. My mission could depend on this..."

_Saffron City, edge of Route 7..._

"Okay, so here's the plan. We head down Route 7 and through Celadon City until we reach Route 16 and Cycling Road. Go down Cycling Road until we reach Fuchsia City and ride Zack's Gyarados through Routes 19 and 20. We'll rest on the Seafoam Islands before heading for Cinnabar Island. That sound like a plan, guys?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, it does." Luffy nodded. "Do you think we can get there in a day?"

"If we go real fast, I bet we can." Leena said.

"But not too fast, Leena!" Ookami squeaked. "We should take our time, too."

"Yeah, and time is something we don't have much of." Will pointed out.

"When do we leave?" Ryan asked.

"Right away, Ryan!" KC replied. "Everyone's packed and ready to go, so let's go already!"

"I agree," Roen nodded.

"You guys go on ahead." Luffy said. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Krystal. Sure, she hates me but we're still friends."

"Should I go with you?" Mark asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Luffy laughed. "If bad goes to worse, you'll find me running to Celadon with a Rapidash chasing me!"

"Let's hope that doesn't happen..." Jake grumbled. "We don't have to walk all that way, you know. I can fly us there on Murkrow."

"Yeah, I know but walking is fun. We get to talk and stuff like we used to before this whole Cipher thing happened." Alex commented. "You can fly if you want, Jake. We're walking!"

"Or riding, in my case," Leena added, patting Arcane on the head.

"...Fine, I'll walk with you guys." Jake muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go then."

"Okay, everyone! We're moving out!" Mark cried.

"YEAH!!" everyone cheered.

As ten of the Snaggers proceeded down the path, Luffy turned around and headed for the apartments that Krystal lived in. He was surprised to find her already waiting for him. "Hey, Luffy. Leaving so soon?" she asked.

"Um, yeah." The raven-haired boy nodded. "It was great seeing you again. Maybe you can call me sometime?"

"Maybe," Krystal giggled. "Now get going. Your friends are leaving you behind."

"Um, yeah. Uh...bye?"

"Bye, Luffy." Then she moved forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun with your friends. Stay safe for me, okay?"

Luffy's face turned red as he turned away. "Yeah...I'll stay safe. You do the same, okay?"

Krystal laughed. "Okay!"

_Maybe there's still hope for us, Krystal,_ Luffy thought as he ran toward Route 7 and the fading forms of his companions. _When we defeat Cipher, I'll come back and make up with you properly. I promise!_

Krystal shook her head as she entered her apartment. "Stupid boy...but you're _my_ stupid boy, Luffy." She muttered, smiling.

"And...here comes Luffy!" Zack cried, seeing the older boy running toward them.

"So, how'd it go?" Mark asked.

"It went fine!" Luffy panted.

"Hey, we're in Celadon now." Ookami pointed out. "Should we stop to eat or do we keep going?"

"We keep going," Jake said. "If we stop now, we'll never make it to Cinnabar before nightfall."

"Jake's right, Ookami," Mark agreed. "We'll eat while we ride to the Seafoam Islands, okay?"

"Okay..." the brunette muttered.

As they walked through Celadon City, they waved to Erika and kept an eye out for Cipher goons. There were none. In no time, they were in front of Cycling Road and prepared to sneak past the guard once again. After that was done, they were walking along Cycling Road like they had only days ago. The sun was shining high above them and it was warm out.

Ookami spotted something and pointed up. "Hey, look! Do you see what I see?"

"Huh?" As everyone looked up, Jake's eyes widened in shock. "It's a Cipher helicopter."

"How do you know?" KC asked.

"I saw a few just before I found you guys. They were headed for the Indigo Plateau." The green-eyed boy explained.

"I don't think it was the Indigo Plateau they were headed for." Mark growled. "They must've gone after Zapdos!"

"Zapdos?!" Jake yelped. "I should've shot them down when I had the chance then!"

"Do you think they caught it?" Ookami asked.

"If they did, then we're in big trouble." Roen muttered. "Mark, what do we do?"

"I don't know if we can do anything to help Zapdos now." Then green-haired Snagger admitted. "Either Zapdos managed to get away or Cipher has already captured it. There's not much we can do about it in either case. All we can do is keep moving forward."

The helicopter flew over then, heading for Cinnabar Island. "I bet Blazer's in there," Luffy hissed, fists clenching. He'd never forget Blazer's attempt to kidnap him in Fuchsia.

"If he is then he'll be sorry once we kick his butt!" Will barked.

"Guys, let's focus on reaching Fuchsia and getting to the Seafoam Islands." Mark suggested.

"Pika pi!" Sparks suddenly cried, pointing ahead. "Pika!"

"What's wrong, Sparks?" Alex asked.

"Hey, guys! Look!" Roen yelled.

Looking ahead, a mass of yellow and black feathers lay on the ground. A crowd was surrounding it and talking. As the Snaggers got closer, they realized what it was. "It's Zapdos! Guys, Cipher didn't catch it! Zapdos escaped!" Leena cheered.

Shoving through the crowd, they saw police officers surrounding the bird to prevent people from getting too close. Seeing Tracy, Mark called out to him. Officer Jenny allowed the Snaggers inside the circle, much to other trainers' protests. Tracy sighed in relief. "I'm glad you guys are here."

"What happened to Zapdos?" Alex asked.

"It's hurt," Ryan pointed out, indicating the blood staining some of the Legendary's feathers.

"Zapdos was captured by Cipher but managed to break free." Tracy explained. "It must've crash-landed here and hasn't moved since. People tried to capture it but Officer Jenny has threatened to revoke the license of anyone who tries to capture Zapdos."

"Well, that's good." Will said. "Zapdos should be able to fight back if you plan to catch it."

Ookami sat beside the wounded bird and brushed her fingers along its feathers. "Poor Zapdos..." Tears appeared in the corners of her green eyes. "Why does Cipher have to be this cruel to Pokemon?"

"Because all they care about is power." Jake said, standing beside her. "Cipher feels no remorse in hurting or killing Pokemon for their sick and twisted experiments. World conquest is their goal and they will gladly kill to achieve that goal. If it meaning bringing the whole world to ruin and killing every Pokemon, Cipher would do it. That's how far they're willing to go."

"That's terrible...Pokemon shouldn't be treated like this!" Ookami cried, resting her head against Zapdos' wing. "I know humans have done terrible things, like destroying the environment and hurting Pokemon. Pokemon don't deserve death anymore than humans do!"

As Ookami cried, Jake just stood there. "You can feel it, can't you?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"You can feel a Pokemon's pain. You can feel their happiness, sadness, anger, suffering...you can feel it, right?" he continued. "You can feel and understand it, right? I can too. That's why I want to stop Cipher. Ookami, where were you born?"

"In Celadon City,"

"No, I mean where were you _born_?"

"Celadon City!"

"...I was born in Viridian Forest." Jake said. "Every few years, a child is born in Viridian City with the ability to understand a Pokemon's feelings. Some can heal Pokemon and others can see their memories. You and I can understand the feelings of Pokemon and relate them to ourselves."

Ookami looked up. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. You and I are proof of that." Jake nodded.

"Ookami, look out!" Mark suddenly shouted.

Jake grabbed the brunette's hand and pulled her away just as Zapdos lifted its head, screeching. After a few moments, it collapsed once more. "What happened to it?" Ookami asked.

"It just woke up," Tracy explained. "It was probably confused by the large amount of people surrounding it and panicked. I'm glad it didn't try to fly away. I don't think its wing can handle flying right now."

"What?!" Ookami cried.

"Ookami, Zapdos' wing is broken. It broke when it fell from the helicopter to the ground." Leena said. "Prof. Oak is sending a helicopter to bring Zapdos to Prof. Ivy's lab in the Orange Islands. There, Prof. Ivy will try to heal it and gain a better understanding of Zapdos."

"Will it be okay?" Ookami asked.

"I hope so, Ookami." Tracy nodded. "If anyone can fix Zapdos' wing, it'll be a little TLC from Prof. Ivy."

"Meanwhile, we should get going." Mark added. "We wasted a lot of time here and I think we might need to stay the night at the Seafoam Islands."

"I could just fly us there, you know." Jake suggested.

"Fine, we'll fly there!" Mark snapped.

Releasing Murkrow, Jake had it fly them all to the Seafoam Islands. Once there, Zack released Gyarados and they started swimming toward Cinnabar Island. The red Gyarados seemed happy to be back in the water again, swimming in circles and diving with the humans on her back for seconds at a time. Zack was laughing, seated on the shiny Pokemon's head. "This is awesome!" the blonde cried.

"Zack sure loves his Gyarados," Jake commented. "That's good."

"What did you expect?" Roen chuckled. "Zack really loved her since he first saw her. Right, Will?"

"You got that right!" Will looked up at Zack and frowned. "The day he caught this Gyarados, though...it was the day we saw a lot of people get hurt. Some even died."

_He must mean those burnt carnival grounds I camped out at before,_ Jake thought. _I didn't expect it to be a place of death..._

"Zack was really scared then," Will continued, remembering the scenes well. "Zack just couldn't stop staring at all the pain and death around us. And it only got worse when we found this Gyarados..."

"_It's okay, Zack. I'm sure the Pokemon Center is in this direction." Will kept his hands on the shaking blonde's shoulders. "Just hang in there, buddy."_

_Then Zack looked up and froze. "Will...it's her..."_

"_Her?" Will looked up too and froze. "Oh no...Oh no!"_

_It was the red Gyarados from the water show. She was curled up and panting, blood running from the various injuries she had received from falling to the ground. The remains of the trailer rested below her and resting in the center of her coils, limp and unmoving...was the woman from the show. Gyarados had chosen to stay with her trainer until the end._

_Before Will could stop him, Zack had charged forward and clambered over her coils, desperate to see that she was alive. "Hey, lady? Are you okay? Hey!" he cried. He jumped off one coil and crawled to her side, Will at his heels. He placed a hand on her arm and whimpered. It was cold, too cold._

"_Will, is she...?"_

_The brunette saw the tears running down Zack's cheeks. All he could do was nod. Zack stood up and walked toward the Gyarados, resting a hand on her crimson scales. Then he pulled away and stared in fear at his blood-stained hands. "Will, is she gonna die too?"_

"_I don't know, Zack. Maybe..." Will bent down and picked up the Gyarados' broken Poke Ball. Then he saw what Zack was doing. "Zack, you're not really gonna catch it!"_

"_Yes, I am!" the blonde shouted, clutching the Poke Ball tightly in his hands. "I can't leave her like this! She'll die if I don't do something. Just look at her, Will!"_

_Will stayed silent before walking forward and resting a hand on his shoulder. "You do what you think is right, Zack." He said._

_Zack nodded, the tears slowing down a bit. He turned toward the wounded Gyarados and smiled gently. "It's okay, girl. It'll stop hurting soon. I'll take care of you...if you'll let me." The Gyarados grunted but allowed Zack to rest a hand on her neck. "Thanks. I'm sorry for everything that has happened to you."_

_Then Zack stepped back and tossed the Poke Ball forward. The red Gyarados faded into light before disappearing into the ball._

"That's terrible!" Ookami cried. "Poor Zack..."

"At least she has a new trainer and a better life now." Mark looked into the sea racing past then and yelped as a Magikarp jumped out at him. "Yuck! Hey, watch it! You go back!" He managed to toss it back in and wiped his face off on the edge of his jacket. "That was gross! I swear it was trying to kiss me!"

"Awww!" Will cooed mockingly. "I guess the fish must think you're pretty attractive then."

"Well, let's see if they like you too!" Mark barked, leaping forward and shoving Will.

"Whoa, dude! No!" The brunette's hands shot out and grabbed onto the closest things to him in order to stay on board. Too bad those two things happened to be Jake's shirt and Leena's red muffler. The duo screamed as all three were pulled overboard. "Hey! Three people overboard!" Will yelled seconds before plunging into the sea.

"Zack, we got to go back!" Luffy cried.

"I'm on it!" the blonde nodded. "Gyarados, we have to turn around. Our friends fell off!"

The red Gyarados nodded but just as she was turning around, an orange blur shot past her. "What was that?!" Roen yelped, having been blown out of his seat as the blur sped past.

Will coughed. "I'm really sorry, Leena! I didn't mean to grab you or Jake, I swear!" he wailed, attempting to swim away from the angry raven-haired girl.

"I don't care about your stupid excuses! Now get over here so I can drown you!" Leena yelled.

"Jake, help!" Will cried.

"I'm not getting involved," Jake replied. "I'm trying to keep my head above water."

"Why?" Then Leena got an idea. "Is little Jakey afraid of a little water?"

"Not afraid exactly," the raven-haired boy grumbled. "And don't call me Jakey!"

"Oh really? Then what if I did this?" Leena started splashing water at him, laughing.

"Stop it! Really, stop! STOP!!"

"You guys really love to fight, don't you?" a voice giggled from above them.

"Huh?" The trio looked up and saw the owner of the voice.

Perched on top of a nearly pure orange Dragonite was a young girl around 13 or 14 years old. She had shoulder-length white hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, and blue sneakers. A phoenix tattoo wound around her right arm. And seated in her lap was a pure black Eevee with grayish-blue eyes. "Hey there! Need a lift back to your friends?"

"Um, yeah!" Will nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hannah from Pewter City, but you can call me Blacky." The girl held out her hand for Will. "Come on! I'll pull you up."

One by one, Blacky hauled the trio out of the water and onto her Dragonite. Once all three were on, she had her Dragon-type fly toward Gyarados and drop them off. "Thanks for the help, Blacky!" KC cried. "Hey, are you going to Cinnabar Island?"

"Yeah, I was just heading there." Blacky nodded. "Let's just say some bad people are after my Pokemon."

"Well, you're welcome to join us. Some people are after us, too." Luffy suggested.

"I'll stay with you for now but I have to think about it," The white-haired girl jumped off and returned her Dragonite, sitting down on the Gyarados' red scales and stroking her Eevee. "So, who's chasing you guys?"

"You tell us who's chasing you first." Mark countered. "Ladies first, after all,"

"Oh, all right..." Blacky looked down at her Eevee sadly. "I don't know their name but they experimented on my Pokemon, all of them. Not just changing their appearance but their powers and personalities, too!"

"Would this organization happen to be called Cipher?" Alex asked.

The black Eevee instantly started growling, his fur bristling. "Yeah, that was it!" Blacky nodded. "Nightslash always acts like this if somebody mentions the organization's name. How did you know?"

"Cipher is after us, too," Ryan explained. "So we're all the same,"

"Hey, there's Cinnabar!" Zack suddenly cried. "We should be there in a few minutes, guys!"

"Finally!" Mark muttered. "We're coming, Blaine,"

"Well, I guess I've made my decision," Blacky said. "I want to join you guys! If you guys are gonna bring Cipher down, then I want to be there to see it! Maybe my Pokemon can be cured from these experimentations if Cipher falls."

"Maybe, Hannah," Mark nodded.

Blacky smiled. "Thanks!"

"Vee vee!" Nightslash cried happily. "Vee!"

"Yeah, that's right. Good boy, Nightslash!" Blacky giggled, cuddling the black Eevee. "Who's a good boy? You are! Oh, yes, you are!"

After a few minutes, the group pulled into the pier and the twelve Snaggers hopped off. Zack returned his Gyarados and the group split up in search of goons. Blacky clutched her Eevee close to hide him from staring tourists. After half an hour, the group met up at the Pokemon Center. "How did everything go?" Mark asked.

"Pretty good but no Shadow Pokemon," Ryan replied.

"Mark, where are they all?" Alex asked. "Are they all in Blaine's gym?"

"Yeah, from the looks of it," Then Mark spotted something. "What's that?"

The group looked near the PokeMart and finally spotted it. Standing near the wall and staring directly at them...was a Ninetales. Though hidden by shadows, the scars covering its body were visible along with the blood staining its fur. It only stayed still for a moment before it turned, fleeing. A few drops of blood and a group of paw prints were all that remained of it.

"Was that a Ninetales? It looked so hurt!" Ookami said.

"After we talk to Blaine, I'll look for it." Mark promised. "Let's get going, guys." As they entered the Pokemon Center, Mark looked behind him one last time before stepping inside. _I wonder what happened to that Ninetales..._

Upon entering the Pokemon Center, they got Blaine's room number and went upstairs to find him. "Hey, Blaine! We're here!" Luffy said, as he pushed the door open.

"Oh, that has to hurt!" Ookami whimpered.

Jake sighed, staring at Blaine. The Cinnabar Gym Leader was covered in minor burns and, despite his injuries, still refused to give up on getting his gym back. "I'm fine. We should get going and teach that gym-stealing brat a lesson." The bald man demanded.

"Don't worry, Blaine! There'll be plenty of time for that later." Mark reassured. "But for now, maybe you should rest up a little more before we head for the gym."

"...Fine. But only for another hour." Blaine snapped. "I want my gym back as soon as possible!"

"Yeah, we know." Luffy chuckled, nodding.

"Hey, guys?" Will called. "I think we have a goon outside."

"What?!" Ookami yelped. "I thought we beat them all already!"

"So did I but obviously, we didn't." Mark growled.

Far below, Molt stood outside with Flare by his side. _So, they're the Snaggers. I wonder if Freeze is with them already. If he is, he'll be impressed by how strong I am now!_ Molt waited patiently, only to stare in horror as Leena stood before him. "You!"

"Oh, great. It's you again." Leena groaned. "Do you have to kick your butt a second time?"

Molt gulped in fear. _Just great! Why do I have to fight Leena again?!_

"Arcane, show this guy a lesson." Leena's Arcanine stepped forward, baring his fangs.

"Mr. Mime, Flare!" Molt said. The duo nodded and prepared to battle. "Flare, use Shadow Flamethrower!"

"Arcane, Extremespeed and follow up with Take Down!" Leena ordered.

Arcane charged and leaped over the flames that Flare released. He slammed into her, throwing her into Molt and making both hit the ground. As Arcane charged a second time, Molt smirked. "That won't work!" he cried.

"Oh, really? Hit them full force, Arcane!" Just as the Arcanine was preparing to hit them, he suddenly crashed into something at high speed. Yelping, the Fire-type collapsed in pain. "What the? Arcane!" Leena fell to her knees beside her beloved canine and checked for any injuries.

"Holy! What did he hit?" Roen asked.

"An invisible wall," Ryan replied.

"No way! That's impossible!" the blue-haired boy argued.

"It's possible if you have a Mr. Mime on the field, Roen." Jake explained. "See the way it's moving its hands. It's making invisible walls with its miming. That's one of the strange powers of a Mr. Mime. It can make invisible walls just by moving its hands through the air in front and around it."

Leena reached out a hand and gasped as her hand pressed against a solid object. "No way...I guess you got smarter since last time we fought." She muttered.

"I had to, especially with Blazer as my teacher." Molt replied, smiling. "He taught me how to control both fire _and_ my Mr. Mime's techniques."

"Darn," Leena hissed.

"Hey, mind if I join in?" Blacky asked. "I think I can take him."

"You're joking, right?" Leena asked.

"No, I'm serious," Blacky insisted. "Besides...he can't beat what he can't catch. Claws, get out here!" Tossing a Poke Ball out, a Zangoose appeared. Many scars decorated his white and red fur, proof of the many battles he has been in. "Use Quick Attack!"

"You think a Quick attack can beat my Mr. Mime's invisible walls?" Molt chuckled. "I guess you've never fought a Cipher agent before, huh?"

"Nope!" Blacky giggled.

Claws shot forward to strike, claws at the ready. Mr. Mime raised its hands to reinforce its invisible walls, only to blink in confusion. "Mime?"

"What the...where the heck did it go?!" Molt demanded, searching wildly.

Only seconds after he had begun charging, the Zangoose had mysteriously vanished. While Molt and his two Pokemon started freaking out over the vanished Pokemon, Leena glanced at Blacky questioningly. "Wait for it," Blacky giggled. "Wait for it... Now! Claws, use Slash!"

As Molt searched desperately for him, the Zangoose appeared behind Mr. Mime. "Look out!" he cried. The Psychic-type wasn't fast enough to avoid the blow, collapsing in a heap. Then he turned and attacked Flare with Slash, vanishing once more before striking again. Molt dashed forward and gathered his wounded Flareon in his arms. "Flare, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Claws jumped backward and landed beside Blacky, purring as she scratched him behind the ear. "Good boy, Claws. That was awesome!" she praised.

"How did he do that?!" Leena cried. "He just vanished and suddenly he was behind Mr. Mime and the invisible wall!"

"Oh, I guess I should've told you this sooner." Blacky said, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Sorry!"

Returning his Mr. Mime, Molt stood up. "You may have beaten me this time but I guarantee your defeat once you get to the gym. Blazer will wipe the floor with you!"

"Yeah, yeah, who cares?" Luffy growled. "If anything, he's the one who's going down!"

"You got that right, big brother!" KC nodded.

Molt growled and stomped away, hugging his wounded Flareon to his chest. _I guess Freeze wasn't with them. Good! I didn't want him to see that anyways! That was so humiliating..._

"So, Hannah," Mark said. "How did your Zangoose do that, anyway?"

"Oh, well...it's a really long story! But to make it short, Cipher experimented on them and made them like this." Blacky explained. "Claws can go faster than time, so that's how he did that."

"Faster than time? Cool!" Will laughed. "Blazer's gonna go down in no time with that speedy guy on our team!"

"Actually, there's a catch to him doing that." Blacky muttered. "Claws can only go that fast three times in one day. He wasted two times in this fight and going that fast once won't win a battle. Against some of the stronger Cipher agents that I've met, I had to use all three times against one Pokemon. Since this guy is a Gym Leader, I don't think Claws can help much. Sorry..."

"It's okay, Hannah," Mark reassured, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we can still win against Blazer. You guys go back inside and keep Blaine company. I'm going to look for that Ninetales we saw earlier."

"Okay," Alex nodded. "Good luck!"

"You, too!" The green-haired boy headed toward the PokeMart and vanished around a corner, leaving his companions behind.

_On the island that houses Cipher, Poindexter's room..._

"Only a few more hours and we can leave, guys." Freeze said, glancing at the clock every few seconds. "Can't we leave now?"

"Not yet, Freeze. Quit being so impatient," Mist growled. "If we leave too soon, we risk being caught. Too late and we will be captured because security will be back to normal. Just wait a little bit longer, okay?"

"Don't worry, Freeze!" Brad chuckled. "We'll be out of here in no time. What are you gonna do when you're out of here?"

"I'm gonna find the Snaggers and get stronger so I can beat Electra!" the blue-haired boy replied.

"I'm going to find my two half brothers and meet my dad." _Not my real dad, though. He's probably dead,_ Brad thought.

"I'm going to be joining the Snaggers as well, Freeze." Mist pointed out.

"And why's that?" Freeze asked.

"I wish to avenge the life of my closest friend. Cipher killed her in order to get to me and eliminate any threats." Mist explained. "I'm going to make them regret killing her. I'll find who killed her and make sure they pay for what they did, even if it means killing them too!"

"...Whoa. Anger issues, man." Freeze squeaked.

"Shut up or else!" Mist spat, glaring.

"Okay, okay!" the blue-haired teen grumbled. "Don't have to bite my head off..."

"Are you two finished fighting?" Poindexter asked, looking over his shoulder. "If you are, you can grab your things and get ready to leave. Looks like the boss decided to up security early today."

"So, we're leaving now?" Brad asked.

"Awesome! Let's go already!" Freeze cheered.

"Shut up and we will, Freeze," Mist muttered. "Poindexter, how are we leaving?"

"Head out the back exits and escape through the woods," Poindexter explained. "Once you hit the beach, use Lapras to get to Kanto and go directly to the Indigo Plateau. The Snaggers might need your help in beating those Elite Four guys. If you think it's too dangerous, head for Tohjo Falls and wait there. The Snaggers are bound to go past there if they want to go to Johto."

"All right," the white-haired teen nodded. "Thank you, Poindexter. We'll leave now."

"Whatever!" Poindexter chuckled, pulling out the shoebox from under his desk. "Take this with you. It contains all of the disks with my computer's data on them. Protect it with your life, okay?"

"Okay," Mist took the box and placed it in his bag. "Thanks again. I hope you fair well without us here, Poindexter."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" the brunette reassured, his glasses slipping down his nose. "You just worry about getting yourselves out of here. You kids don't belong in an evil place like this."

"You got that right. This place gives me the creeps sometimes!" Freeze agreed.

"Bye, Poindexter! I hope we meet again!" Brad waved. He and Freeze left the room, quickly racing down the halls. "Mist, come on!"

"Poindexter, why are you staying here?" Mist asked.

"I'm not someone who likes the outside world much," the hacker admitted. "You go and help those Snaggers. Get revenge for that girl, Anna. And take Cipher down!"

Mist simply nodded and smirked. "I will...I promise!" He turned and ran down the hall, catching up with his two fellow escapees. Together, the trio rounded the corner and headed for the back exits...for freedom.

_Good luck, you three,_ Poindexter thought, sipping his coffee. _You'll need it._ Then he heard it. Someone was knocking on his door. Standing up, he headed for the door with the coffee mug in his hand. _I wonder who that could be..._ He grabbed the knob and opened the door casually. "Hey there! What are you doing all the way down here?" he asked.

A man with spiky black hair and golden eyes stood in the doorway. He wore a long back trench coat and his hands were shoved in its deep pockets. A pair of black goggles with blue lenses was resting on his forehead. "I'm here on orders from our boss. He asked me to speak with you personally about something. Is Mist here, by chance?"

"No, he's not. Who are you?"

The man simply smiled. "The name's Sarquiss. Nice to meet you..."

_Outskirts of Cinnabar Island..._

Mark groaned. His hour was nearly up and he had only caught glimpses of that wounded Ninetales, Where was it? Despite his frustration, he kept on searching with a Poke Ball in hand. That Ninetales needed to see Nurse Joy to have its injuries healed and that could only happen if Mark caught it. _Come on, where are you? Can't you stay still for even a second just so I can catch you?_

Rounding the corner, he saw it resting beside the PokeMart once more. Deciding to chance it, he tossed the Poke Ball directly at it. Hearing the whistle of the ball soaring through the air, the Fire-type opened one eye and knocked it away with a tail. Mark groaned again, kneeling down to grab the ball. He heard a growling noise and froze. The Ninetales was standing up, tails flared into attack position. It was going to attack him!

The Ninetales barked, pouncing and snapping its jaws. Mark rolled out of the way and the Ninetales landed, turning and shooting a blast of fire after him. Mark yelped as the end of his ponytail and the edge of his jacket caught fire, digging them into the sand to put it out. Then he looked up and saw the Ninetales charging again! Mark got up and started to run when a heavy weight collided with his back. Crashing face-first into the sand, he heard the snarls of the Ninetales perched on top of him.

_No! This can't happen,_ he thought, closing his green eyes. _This Ninetales in going to kill me!_

Just as the Fire-type lowered its head to deal the finishing blow, it heard something behind it. "Pika pika...CHUUUUUUU!!!!" The Ninetales howled as electricity struck it from behind, knocking it off the human and into the sand a few feet away. "Pika pi! Pika!"

"Sparks!" Mark cried, sitting up and hugging his beloved Pikachu. "I'm so glad to see you, buddy!"

"Pika! Pika pi! Pi pikachu!" Sparks cried.

Then Yena's Poke Ball burst open and the Dark-type stood before Ninetales. She growled, displaying her teeth. She barked once, twice, three times. She was warning the Ninetales to back off or lose. The Ninetales growled back, unaware of the mistake it made. In seconds, the Fire-type was yelping in pain from its position on the ground with the Mightyena's teeth at its throat. It continued yelping, begging for mercy.

"Yena, back off!" Mark ordered.

The Mightyena nodded, releasing it and stepping away. She bared her fangs and growled once more. It was a clear warning: Bite him and prepare to die, mutt. The Ninetales nodded, staggering to sit upright and wincing with each movement. Mark crouched beside it and studied the scars. Many were old wounds but some were fresh, now bleeding thanks to Yena's attack. One particularly noticeable scar was across its—no, his—left eye. His left back leg was injured, forcing the canine to limp as he walked.

"You're really hurt, aren't you?" When Mark reached out to touch him, the Ninetales' fur bristled. He didn't want to be touched. "What happened to you?"

"Mark! Where are you?" a voice, most likely Alex's, shouted from his right. "Mark!"

The Ninetales, seeing his chance, took off and raced toward the volcano. It was headed for Blaine's gym. Cursing, the green-haired boy stood up and returned Yena. "I should be getting back now," he muttered, walking toward Alex's shouting. "I'm coming, Alex!"

"Well, hurry up!" Alex shouted. "Blaine just left the Pokemon Center and we're headed for the volcano! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! Wait up for me, guys!" Sparks jumped up on Mark's shoulder as the Snagger ran toward his companions. _Blazer, here we come!_

Standing on top of the PokeMart, Blazer grinned. "About time they finally start going toward the gym. Now I can really have some fun here." Then he looked toward the volcano and the retreating form of the Ninetales. "Still, I wonder what that Ninetales wants. Ever since I got here, all it's done is pace along the beach. Now that the Snaggers are here, it's heading for my gym. What is it planning to do?" Turning away, he sighed. "Who cares? It's one lowly Fire-type. It can't beat me and neither can the Snaggers!" He teleported back to the gym, anxiously awaiting his battle with the Snaggers. "This is gonna be fun..."

_On the island housing Cipher, Poindexter's room..._

"Sarquiss?" Poindexter repeated. "I've never heard of you before. Are you one of the Johto Gym Leaders?"

"Of course I am," Sarquiss nodded, his hands wrapping around a metallic object in his pocket. "I'm Cianwood's Gym Leader. I have orders to put a stop to something you and a few of our agents have been planning."

"What plan? I'm afraid you're mistaken, Sarquiss." Poindexter backed up a step, nervous. _How did the boss know about our plans? We're a day early, too!_

"I don't think I am, Poindexter." Sarquiss pulled out the object, a gun, and pointed it at his head. "Men!"

Suddenly, Cipher Peons appeared and surrounded him. "What's the meaning of this?!" the hacker demanded. "You're kidding, right?"

"Sorry, but I'm not. I don't kid about these things." The gun was pointed at the hacker's chest. "Sayonara...traitor!"

A loud bang tore through the air. Blood spattered the floor of Poindexter's room and his coffee mug shattered upon hitting the ground. Sarquiss smiled and blew the smoke from the muzzle of his gun. _Damn...it..._ Poindexter fell to the ground, dead.

"Sir, what are our orders?" one goon asked.

"Get rid of the body," Sarquiss said coldly. "Quickly! I think I hear someone heading this way."

"Should we stop them, sir?"

"Nah, let them see," Sarquiss chuckled, stepping out of the room. "Hurry up, you nitwits!"

"Yes, sir!" The goons got to work hauling his body up and out of the room. They fled, leaving nothing but the bloody room behind as evidence of their crime.

Sarquiss headed down the hall toward the rapidly approaching footsteps. Reaching up, he pulled his goggles down to shield his eyes. He hated the way people stared at his golden eyes. It was embarrassing, even to a guy like him. The blue lenses made his eyes look brown. He sighed, turning the corner and nearly running into Rosalean. "Well, what's a young lady like you doing so far away from her room?" he asked politely.

"I thought I heard a gunshot. Is anyone hurt?" the redhead asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Sarquiss suggested, moving aside. As she ran past him, he smiled cruelly.

Rosalean didn't stop running until she reached the open door leading into Poindexter's room. She froze, green eyes wide in terror. She didn't even need to flick on the light to see what was in there. Covering her eyes, she screamed as loud as she could. Lying in the center of the pool of blood, coffee mug pieces scattered around it...was Poindexter's glasses, the glass stained scarlet with his own blood.

Sarquiss laughed in the hallway. _If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen, girly!_ He walked off, laughing. His job was complete. Now all he had to do was give the boss his report. _Too bad Mist wasn't there. Oh well...Dart will get rid of the other three traitors!_

Outside, Mist, Freeze, and Brad halted as the entered a clearing in the forest. "Did any of you hear that sound?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Freeze nodded. "Somebody shot a gun in there."

"Yeah, but..." Mist gulped, fear welling up in his heart. "Who got shot?"

"Poindexter did, whitey," said a cruel but all-too-familiar voice. "One of the new guys shot the hacker. But don't worry, whitey. You'll be joining him soon...all three of you will!"

Turning, Mist's gray eyes narrowed in anger. "What do you want now...Dart?"

The blonde swordsman stepped out of the undergrowth and entered the clearing. "What do you expect, Mist? The boss ordered me to kill you three. Before you die, though, I'll let you in on a little secret."

"What?"

"Hey, leave us alone!" Brad shouted.

Freeze grabbed Glaceon's Poke Ball. "Back off or get frosted!"

Mist raised an arm, stopping Freeze. "Forget it, Freeze. You can't beat Dart. I'll deal with him."

"But, Mist!" the blue-haired boy complained.

"Freeze, take Brad and hide. I'll keep Dart away for as long as I can. If I should fall, head for the beach and escape with Lapras." The white-haired psychic tossed his Lapras' Poke Ball at Freeze, who caught it. "Take care of her."

"Mist!" Freeze shouted.

"So, you really think you can beat me?" Dart asked.

Mist nodded.

"Well then..." He drew his sword and charged. "Prove it!"

"Gladly," Mist levitated into the air and caught the sword. "Let's do this."

"You're dead, whitey!" the blonde roared.

**Next Chapter:** Truth Be Told

"What is this secret you wish to tell me, Dart?" Mist asked, ducking to avoid another swipe of his sword.

"You'll know just before I kill you!" Dart snarled, swiping at the psychic's legs.

Mist dodged, levitating high into the air before sending a blade of blue energy out to strike. Dart blocked it with his sword and jumped into a tree, using a branch to strike again. Mist twisted away and landed on the ground. As he raced away from Dart, a root caught his foot and forced the psychic to fall to his knees. The moment Mist freed his foot, Dart kicked him in the side and sent him tumbling on the grass.

"Mist, I'm coming!" Freeze shouted.

Resting on his back, Mist spat out some blood and growled. "No! Stay back, Freeze!"

"Poor whitey! You won't even let your friends save you. How noble," Dart chuckled mockingly, pressing one foot to Mist's right shoulder to keep him still. "After this finishing blow, I'll tell you the secret I keep...the secret you've been searching for all along." The blonde raised his sword above his head. "Now die!"

"MIST!!" Brad and Freeze screamed as the blade descended. Crimson blood stained the grass red. Mist coughed in pain. "No...No!" Freeze burst from the grass, Glaceon at his side. "Mist, I'm coming!"

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So, how was it? No, Mist is not dead for those of you who love him so much. Yes, I had Poindexter die *sob sob*... Please don't kill me! What does the Ninetales in Cinnabar want with the Snaggers? How did the boss know of the agents' early departure? Will Mist survive his first fight with Dart? And what secret is Dart hiding? You'll have to find out next time, guys. Please review!


	32. Chapter 32: Truth Be Told

Oh my God, I am so sorry for how late this is!! My stupid computer crashed the day I finally got back from my cruise and erased almost all of my data. It needed to update my computer and then it crashed. Damn thing!! *kicks computer in rage* I hate Vista so much right now! :(

Anyways, thanks again for almost 5,000 hits to this story! I'm glad you all like it so much! Also, I couldn't think of anything else for Molt to do aside from leaving once he was beaten. What else could he have done, DR2334? Don't worry, you'll see some major dedication on Freeze's behalf in this chapter along with the intro of Freeze's battle tactics. You're gonna love these fights, I know you will.

As for Ketchum Kid's question, I may add those characters in. May helping her dad sounds pretty cool. No, the boss of Cipher is nobody we currently know or have seen. Actually, I don't even know what he looks like yet. He's just the creepy guy who likes to hide in a dark room, commands Cipher, and only has a Shadow Gengar currently. His personality and such is created, but he has no appearance yet. Sorry! -_-'

Once again, I am terribly sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I'll try to update faster and pray my computer doesn't crash again. This chapter contains the first part of the Blazer battle. Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, and a joyous 2009 to all! Now onto the story!

Chapter 32: Truth Be Told

TK leaned against the railing, staring down at the lab below him. The main lab that created Shadow Pokemon was a giant spherical room in the center of the Cipher island base. Ringing the inner walls of the room were walkways with railings, made especially for people to watch the process of turning a normal Pokemon into a Shadow Pokemon from a safe distance up. TK slipped his camera into his pants pocket, hearing the echoing footsteps of someone else on the walkway.

He was surprised to see the Cianwood City Gym Leader, Sarquiss, walking toward him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Just wandering around. Why? Is that a crime?" Sarquiss growled back, stopping beside TK and leaning over the railing. "You see that, B? That machine there is helping us reach our goal. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

TK had spent much time learning about his fellow Gym Leaders and was still wary around Sarquiss. The raven-haired man was still a mystery to the Ranger but there were two things he had learned quickly. For one, Sarquiss was easily insulted, offended, and angered. Two, he tended to give people nicknames. TK's was B for Battonage, along with the occasional Batto or Batty. TK was tolerant of these names. He had to be if he wanted to keep his identity hidden.

Suddenly, a loud creak sounded above them. A bright yellow mouse Pokemon jumped from the pipes lining the walls, landing right on Sarquiss' head! As the Pikachu jumped into TK's arms, the Pokemon Ranger caught a glimpse of Sarquiss' golden eyes. He'd never seen Sarquiss' eyes before. His gaze quickly returned to his Pikachu. "Hey, buddy! What were you doing up there?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped, snuggling into his trainer's arms happily. "Pika…"

Sarquiss growled, readjusting his goggles. "You better keep that electric rat in line if you want to keep it for much longer!" he snapped. "Darn thing…"

TK heard another loud creak and looked up, seeing a piece of piping come loose. It was hurtling straight toward Sarquiss! "Look out!" TK cried, crashing into the older man. They both hit the floor just seconds before the pipe banged the railing, clattering to the lab floor far below.

"Holy!" Sarquiss gasped, sitting up. "That thing was gonna hit me!"

"Are you okay?" TK asked, clambering off of Sarquiss.

"Yeah, thanks for the shove." Sarquiss stood up, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "…Thanks. I guess I'm indebt to you for the save."

"I guess so," TK nodded. Inwardly, he was pleased. _Looks like that plan worked perfectly. Pikachu gnawing that pipe and making it fall was excellent. Until I can find out other ways to gain information from Sarquiss, I'll have to go with the old 'save him and be indebt' method. Now to get what I want._ "Since I just helped you, could you tell me something?"

"Depends," Sarquiss grumbled, glaring at Pikachu. "I swear that was on purpose. That pipe fell exactly after your rat appeared. That Pikachu is just a menace."

"You're crazy!" TK laughed. "Why would Pikachu try to hurt you? You didn't do anything to him."

Sarquiss looked away angrily. "What do you want, B? Make it fast or forget it!"

"What was that gunshot I heard a bit ago?" TK demanded.

"Oh…that," A twisted smile appeared on Sarquiss' face and a red flag started waving in the Ranger's head. "It was part of a mission given to me by the boss to…eliminate some trash. Just the usual things."

"You fired a gun?" TK asked. "What was the mission?"

"Why are you being so noisy, Batty?" Sarquiss snapped.

"I'm just curious! Please tell me! I promise to keep it quiet!" TK begged. _Except from the Ranger Union, that is._

Sarquiss just glared before huffing. "Fine, I'll tell you. But if I find out you told anyone, well…let's just say your rat might not remain in one piece for much longer."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu screeched in alarm, burying his head in TK's chest.

"I promise!" TK replied.

"Okay, this is what happened." Sarquiss explained, keeping his eyes on the lab below them. "You know that hacker, Poindexter? He and a few others were planning a betrayal to Cipher. I was ordered to stop them and bring them to the boss for punishment. Unfortunately, three of them escaped and Poindexter was dumb enough to stay behind. Dart's currently chasing the other three but…"

"What happened to Poindexter?" TK asked, suddenly feeling a touch frightened.

"Well…my finger slipped on the trigger as I held the gun to his head,"

TK's blue eyes widened in terror. _This guy…this guy's a murderer!_

Suddenly, a young girl with long brown hair and tanned skin appeared. "Sarquiss, the boss wants to see you!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Okay, I'll go. Mind staying with B for a bit, Fernanda?" Sarquiss asked.

"Sure!"

Once Sarquiss left, TK got a better look at the girl. She had tanned, nearly brown, skin and bright brown eyes. Her brown hair reached to her middle back and two red flowers, tropical from the looks of it, were behind her ears. She wore a blue short-sleeved shirt decorated with pink flowers that stopped above her stomach, a blue skirt decorated with green palm leaves that stopped at her knees, and a neck made of seashells. The girl, Fernanda, was barefoot and looked around 13 or 14 years old.

"Hey, B! My name is Fernanda!" she said.

"It's not B, it's Battonage," TK corrected. "B is just Sarquiss' nickname for me."

"Oh, okay! Battonage sounds prettier than B, anyways!" Fernanda giggled. "So, which gym are you in charge of?"

"Olivine,"

"I'm a Gym Leader too, you know."

"Huh?" TK looked back at her in surprise.

"What? Do I not look like a Cipher Gym Leader?" Fernanda asked.

"Um…" TK groaned. "Sorry, I just didn't think about that. What Gym do you control?"

"Mikan Island Gym,"

"So, you're in the Orange Islands? I haven't seen anyone from there yet."

"Of course not, silly!" Fernanda laughed. "You haven't seen us because we are still being picked for our positions! I just got selected this morning. I think I'm the only one for the moment,"

"Oh, that explains it!" TK chuckled. "So, the Gym Leaders haven't all been selected yet. I should've known!" _So, even if they control the regions, the Gym Leaders haven't all been picked yet. That means the gyms in Hoenn and Sinnoh might still be free. I have to report this to Prof. Hastings!_ "I have to go right now. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, same here. Bye, Battonage!" Fernanda waved as TK walked away.

"Pika pi?" Pikachu squeaked.

"Don't worry, buddy. We're one step closer now," TK reassured, scratching his partner behind the ears. "One step closer to taking Cipher down!"

_Cinnabar Island, outside the Cinnabar Volcano…_

"Ready, everyone?" Mark asked.

"Yeah!" everyone but Blaine cheered.

"Then let's go!" As Mark made to open the door that led to the Cinnabar Gym deep the volcano, Blaine stopped him. "What's wrong?"

"We may get through this door but the door leading into the arena is locked. One of you will have to get the Gym Key hidden in the Pokemon Mansion." Blaine explained. "You'll have to be very careful, though. Pokemon Mansion is very unstable and the floors have broken many times."

"Um…so, who's gonna go?" Will asked.

"I will!" Roen raised his hand. "I have a good idea where the key is, anyways. Anyone else want to come with me?"

"I'll go," Ookami finally said. "Maybe we can use Yaiba to get over the broken floors."

"Good idea!" Roen nodded.

"Then it's settled!" Mark declared. "Roen and Ookami will get the Gym Key while the rest of us go inside and find the locked door."

"Right! Let's go, Ookami!" Roen turned and ran back toward the town, Ookami at his heels.

"Be careful, Ookami!" Alex cried.

"I will! Promise!" Then the duo vanished.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Luffy asked.

"Hope so," Ryan muttered. "Let's go,"

The group had Luffy's Machamp force the heavy metal doors open, allowing them to go through the volcano to reach the gym. As the Snaggers and Blaine walked, they were unaware of the injured Ninetales following them. It was the Ninetales that attacked Mark earlier! He quietly followed the humans, his red eyes glimmering in joy. _Soon,_ he thought. _Soon…_

"Hey, is that the door?" Blacky asked, pointing to a pair of giant metal doors ahead of them.

"That's it," Blaine nodded. "Now we wait for your friends to get here with the key."

"I hope it isn't too long of a wait," Zack complained. "The heat's killing me!"

"What do you expect? We're in a volcano! Of course it's hot!" KC cried.

"I actually think it's pretty nice here." Everyone stared at Jake in shock. "I thought being outside was a bit cold. It's perfect in here."

"You're nuts!" Leena shouted.

"I'm not nuts. I simply like warmer climates, like inside this volcano." Jake replied coldly. "I _am_ a Fire-type trainer, after all. Blaine, you agree with me, right?"

"Yes, I do. But people like you and I are used to this kind of heat because training Fire-type Pokemon calls for this kind of tolerance." Blaine said. "If we couldn't handle temperatures like this, we wouldn't be able to train Pokemon like Magmar or Rapidash without knowing how severe of burns they can unintentionally cause us. Our line of training must be used to fire-related injuries and conditions."

"I train Arcane and I still hate hot places!" Leena argued. "I actually like the sun but not a volcano!"

"Are they gonna argue until Roen and Ookami get back?" Blacky asked.

"Maybe," Luffy shrugged.

"Okay…that sucks."

"I agree,"

_Pokemon Mansion, first floor…_

Roen and Ookami looked around the first floor. There was nothing there aside from lots of rubble and a single staircase in the back. "This doesn't seem so dangerous," Ookami said.

"It'll probably get worse the higher we go." The blue-haired boy walked toward the stairs and started up them. "Come on, Ookami! We have to stay together!"

"Right, coming!" Just as she ran after him, she saw a beaten-up journal under the rubble. Pulling it free, she flipped through it. "Roen, look at this!"

"What?" Roen stopped and waited for Ookami to catch up with him.

"I found this downstairs," Ookami panted, resting against the wall. "I think it's from the scientists…that used to work here…"

Roen flipped through it, reading aloud. "July 5. Guyana, South America. A new Pokemon was discovered deep in the jungle. July 10. We christened the newly discovered Pokemon Mew. February 6. Mew gave birth. We named the newborn Mewtwo. September 1. Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tenacities…"

"What does it all mean?" the brunette asked.

"This was where Mewtwo was born. Mewtwo was created in this very building." Roen looked for a date on the cover but found nothing. "We don't know how long ago this journal was written."

"Is there anything else?"

"I'll check." Roen flipped through the torn and dirty pages, only to stop at one near the end. "There's more writing here but it's in a different handwriting. Someone else wrote in this journal."

"What does it say?" Ookami asked.

Roen read aloud once more. "December 13. We have found evidence of Mewtwo's creation in this journal. We shall begin our search for it to further our project. March 22. Mewtwo has eluded us once more. The boss is angry but willing to accept our excuses. I don't know how much longer our boss will be patient with us. April 7. We have perfected our Shadow Poke—!!" Roen stopped reading.

"Roen, what's wrong?"

"This writing is by a Cipher scientist! It mentions the Shadow Pokemon and Cipher!" Roen cried.

"Are you sure?" Ookami asked.

"Yeah, and I know who wrote this! My mother!" Roen continued. "But she died six years ago at sea while rescuing Pokemon from an oil spill! Why is her writing in here?"

"Maybe she was a Cipher scientist at one point, like Luffy and KC's father." Ookami suggested. "When does the writing stop?"

Roen went through the pages until he stopped at the end. He read aloud, his voice starting to choke. "January 6. The boss has had it with our excuses. Mewtwo has escaped us for three years now. I'm being sent to an oil spill to search for Pokemon to test our Shadow Pokemon Machine on. I fear this may be a cover-up for something more. This may be my last entry before I hide this journal. If this is the end, I would like to say goodbye to my son, Roen. I love you."

"…Roen…" Ookami looked up to see tears rolling down the boy's face. "Roen!"

"It's true. My mom was with Cipher. I can't believe it." He hugged the journal to his chest, crying. "That's why mom was never home. Why dad left. Why she wanted me to have Pokemon. Why she never wrote. Cipher killed her!"

"Roen…" The older girl reached over and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Roen. I'm sorry…"

Tears still ran from his blue-gray eyes. Memories flashed through Roen's mind. Memories he had been trying to forget since he started staying with Ookami.

"_Mother? Where did father go?" a six-year-old Roen asked._

"_Father left, Roen. I'm afraid he's never coming back." A woman with long blue hair said softly._

"_How come? Where did he go?"_

"_I don't know, Roen. He's just gone."_

_Suddenly, the woman knelt down and hugged him, crying. "Mother, don't cry. Please don't cry." Roen hugged his mom._

"_It's their fault! It's all their fault!" she cried. "If they didn't make me stay away for so long, this wouldn't be happening! It's their fault!"_

Roen now knew who his mother had been talking about. "It's their fault," he muttered. "Cipher did this. They took my dad away. They killed my mom!"

"Roen, calm down!" Ookami begged.

Roen remembered that she was still there. Wiping away the tears, he shoved the journal into his bag. "I'll keep this and show it to Mark once we get back. Let's keep going, Ookami. We have a key to find."

Ookami nodded, glad to see Roen smile again. "Right!"

The duo continued up the stairs and reached the second floor. Ookami picked up the Zinc and Calcium on the floor before they headed for the second staircase. As they entered the third floor, Roen grabbed the Iron and spotted the Mewtwo statue. Then he saw the switch on it. "Ookami, do you think I should pull this?"

"Um…if you want to. Just be careful." Ookami kept her eyes to the ground, looking for any sign that the floor would break under her.

"Okay, here we go!" He grabbed the switch and pulled it, making the eyes of the statue glow red. "Whoa! I didn't know it could do that."

"Roen, I don't think the key is here." Ookami stated. "Maybe we should search the second floor again."

"Sure, why not?"

As the duo went back downstairs, they heard a loud cracking noise. Running, they saw the room had gotten darker. The noise stopped. "What was that?" Ookami asked, grabbing Roen's arm.

"Maybe that statue did it. We better be careful now." Roen slowly led the brunette through the darkness as he dug through the rubble. As he started backing up, Ookami suddenly screamed and he was brought to his knees. "Ookami, what's wrong? Ookami!"

"The floor broke! Pull me up, Roen!" she cried, her feet kicking air.

"I'm…trying…Whoa!" Suddenly, both Snaggers were falling. Crashing to the floor, both stay silent for a moment before daring to speak. "Ookami, are you okay?"

"I think so, Roen. Ouch!" Ookami whimpered as she stood up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roen got up and rubbed his right side, which was aching from the crash. "Where are we?"

"We must have fallen to the first floor, Roen. I don't recognize this part though." Ookami spotted a staircase and a Carbos. "I see some stairs but they're going down!"

"It must lead to the basement. Maybe the Gym Key is there."

"I hope so, Roen. I want to get out of here!"

Once down the stairs, they entered the room to their left and saw another Mewtwo statue with its eyes glowing. "I'm pulling that switch so the floor won't break under us again," Roen growled. The eyes stopped glowing and Roen saw another room up ahead. "Let's keep going."

Entering that room, Ookami pointed to another Mewtwo statue. "Maybe you should pull the switch, Roen."

"…Fine, I will." He watched in reluctance as the eyes of the third statue started to glow. Then he spotted something illuminated in the red glow. "It's the Gym Key!"

Ookami picked it up and cheered. "Hooray! Now we can finally get out of this place!"

"Let's go! The others are waiting!" Roen cried.

The two Snaggers ran through the rooms and up the stairs to the first floor. Calling out Yaiba, the Sceptile used Leaf Blade to tear down the wall separating the two parts of the first floor. Returning him, Ookami and Roen both ran out of the Pokemon Mansion and headed for the volcano. Now that they had the Gym Key, they could finally fight Blazer!

On the roof of the Pokemon Mansion, Molt glared as the two Snaggers ran. Flare growled angrily, her fur fluffing up even more than usual. "Don't worry, Flare. We'll show them this time. I'll show Leena I'm not the same weakling from before!" The duo teleported back into the Cinnabar Gym, waiting patiently alongside Blazer for the Snaggers to fight them.

_On the island that houses Cipher, the forest behind the base…_

"What is this secret you wish to tell me, Dart?" Mist asked, ducking to avoid another swipe of his sword.

"You'll know just before I kill you!" Dart snarled, swiping at the psychic's legs.

Mist dodged, levitating high into the air before sending a blade of blue energy out to strike. Dart blocked it with his sword and jumped into a tree, using a branch to strike again. Mist twisted away and landed on the ground. As he raced away from Dart, a root caught his foot and forced the psychic to fall to his knees. The moment Mist freed his foot, Dart kicked him in the side and sent him tumbling on the grass.

"Mist, I'm coming!" Freeze shouted.

Resting on his back, Mist spat out some blood and growled. "No! Stay back, Freeze!"

"Poor whitey! You won't even let your friends save you. How noble," Dart chuckled mockingly, pressing one foot to Mist's right shoulder to keep him still. "After this finishing blow, I'll tell you the secret I keep...the secret you've been searching for all along." The blonde raised his sword above his head. "Now die!"

"MIST!!" Brad and Freeze screamed as the blade descended. Crimson blood stained the grass red. Mist coughed in pain. "No...No!" Freeze burst from the grass, Glaceon at his side. "Mist, I'm coming!"

"Idiot…stay away…" Mist gasped.

"Not this time, Mist! Hitmontop, come out! Glaceon, get ready!" Freeze ordered.

"Glace!" Glaceon nodded. Hitmontop nodded and began spinning on his head, preparing to fight.

Freeze held up Lapras' Poke Ball and closed his eyes. _Lapras, I know you can hear me. I know you've never heard me or met me before, but I am a friend of Mist's. Right now, he's in danger and needs your help. I'm probably not worthy of giving you commands or using you as my own Pokemon but I cannot bear to lose another person to Cipher! They've taken everything away from me, even my own brother._ Tears came to his eyes as he remembered what his brother had said to him.

_Flashback_

"I'm not going to be pushed around anymore, Freeze!" Molt yelled. "I am sick and tired of being picked on and called a coward! But most of all, I'm sick and tired of being bossed around by YOU! I'm not gonna take it anymore!"

_End flashback_

Freeze forced back the tears. _I know Mist was blinded by the darkness but now he's trying to break free. So please, I beg you just for this one battle, help me save him from his darkness!_ Then he threw the Poke Ball, hoping beyond hope that Lapras would help him stop Dart.

Lapras appeared. "Lapras! Lap lapras!" Seeing her wounded trainer, she growled threatening. "Lapras lap…"

Dart smirked. "So, you still have Anna's Lapras, eh? How ironic!" He laughed before grabbing a Poke Ball. "Machamp, come out and deal with those traitors!"

"Champ!" Machamp bellowed, flexing the muscles on its four arms. "Machamp champ!"

"Glaceon, Hitmontop, get ready!" Freeze called. Both Pokemon nodded. "Use Ice Field and follow up with Kicks of Ice!"

"Ice Field? Kicks of Ice?" Dart repeated. "What kind of lame attacks are those?"

"You'll see…and they're not lame! I've trained my Pokemon's abilities to their full extents. Show him, you two!" Freeze yelled.

Shadow Glaceon jumped and landed on top of the spinning Shadow Hitmontop, unleashing Shadow Ice Beams upon the whole field. Soon, the grass and even a few trees were covered in a thick layer of pure ice. Glaceon hopped off and landed perfectly on the ice. Hitmontop continued to spin, only increasing in speed until he was only a blur. Glaceon used one more Shadow Ice Beam on Hitmontop, freezing its legs in solid ice. Even with the added weight, Hitmontop continued to spin quickly.

Brad watched the battle in amazement. "Wow! Freeze is so cool!" Then his eyes trailed to where Mist lay, bleeding. _If only I could help Mist,_ he thought. _I could if Dart and that Shadow Machamp weren't there! I've gotta do something to help! But what?_

"Machamp, be careful!" Dart warned. "Don't let them use the ice against you! Use it against them!"

"Machamp champ!" Shadow Machamp nodded.

"Go, Hitmontop!" Freeze cried. "Hit that Machamp as hard as you can! Kicks of Ice!"

Hitmontop shot forward, spinning even faster just before colliding with Machamp. Machamp roared in agony as each ice-encased foot hit him even harder than the last. Kicking Machamp hard in the chest a final time, Hitmontop flipped around to land on its feet just as Glaceon dashed forward. Jumping up, Hitmontop was catapulted into the air by Glaceon. Hitmontop spun around and aimed its ice-encased tail for Machamp's head.

"Finish it, Hitmontop! Ice Tail!" Freeze shouted.

"Hitmontop top!" Hitmontop cried as it started to fall, gravity taking over. Then it smashed its tail as hard as it could on the top of Machamp's head!

Machamp howled in pain, sliding backward on the ice slightly. Glaceon charged, unleashing a Shadow Rush upon the Fighting-type's unprotected chest. Machamp was thrown backward into a frozen tree and shattered it. Once it recovered, Machamp saw a branch over head and used it to slide forward across the ice. Hitmontop started spinning and kicking, bring the Machamp to a halt. Just as Hitmontop catapulted into the air once again, Machamp reached out and caught it by the tail.

"Hah! You think Machamp was gonna fall for the same move a second time?" Dart laughed. "I don't think so! Machamp, use Shadow Chop!"

Just as Machamp pulled back its fist for the attack, Glaceon pounced and sank her teeth into the arm holding Hitmontop's tail. Machamp cried out in pain and tossed both of them away from it, holding one hand over its injury while its other two arms clenched their fists angrily. Hitmontop coughed, getting to its feet with Glaceon's help.

Brad's eyes lit up as a plan hit him. "Freeze!" he cried.

"What?" Freeze asked.

"Have Lapras freeze Machamp!" Brad cried. "Then we can beat him!"

"Good idea!" Freeze nodded. "Lapras!" After a moment, Lapras nodded. _Thank Arceus, at least she'll listen to me,_ Freeze thought in relief. "Use Shadow Chill on Machamp!"

"Laaaaaa…PRAS!!" Ice erupted from her mouth, forming huge spikes of ice along the ground and trapping Machamp. Glaceon used a Shadow Ice Beam to completely trap it, encasing the Fighting-type in ice.

"We did it!" Freeze cheered. "Now to finish it! Hitmontop!"

"Shadow Riolu, use Shadow Palm!" Brad cried.

The Riolu was dark purple with pure black mask, paws, chest, and ear-like aura sensors. The disks on the backs of its front paws were light gray and its eyes were glowing red. The Riolu charged forward, a black aura surrounding its right paw as it struck. The ice shattered on impact, allowing Hitmontop's kicks and Riolu's punch to hit Machamp full force. Machamp howled, crashing to the ground at Dart's feet.

"We beat him!" Brad and Freeze cried.

"Hmph! So what if you beat me in a battle? I can still kill you right now if I choose to…" Then Dart smirked. "But I think I won't. I let you go…after I tell Mist what I promised to." He walked over and kneeled beside Mist, grabbing the front of the psychic's robe and hauling him into a limp sitting position. "You still conscious, whitey?"

Mist growled. "What…do you…want?" Blood ran down his chin and from the wound in his left shoulder, staining his clothes crimson. Mist continued to glare at Dart, gray eyes filled with hatred.

"I just wanted to tell you what you wanted to hear, whitey. Though, maybe you'd be better off not knowing this. It's about Anna."

"Anna?!" Brad gasped. "You know what happened to her?"

"You better get talking, creep!" Freeze snapped.

"Oh, I know what happened to her. I know the identity of her killer, too. You wanna know who it is, whitey?" Dart asked, his smirk growing.

Mist coughed, nodding.

Dart pulled Mist closer so his mouth was right beside the psychic's ear. "_I_ killed Anna," he said.

Mist's eyes widened in shock. _What?! Dart… That explains everything! Why he hated me immediately after I joined. Why he kept talking about Anna the way he did. Why didn't I see it before?!_

Dart grinned and dropped Mist, leaving him in the grass as he walked away. "You three better leave before the goons get here. Next time, I'll kill you three right away. Good luck being Snaggers, traitors." With that, the blonde swordsman vanished into the forest toward the Cipher base.

After a long moment, Brad and Freeze returned their Pokemon and Lapras. Freeze carried Mist as the trio headed for the beach. Once there, they released Lapras once more and climbed onto her spiky black shell. Then the Ice-type slowly swam out to see toward Kanto, heading for the Indigo Plateau. Mist passed out and Brad spared some bandages to cover his wounds. It was going to be a long journey from here on out.

"Freeze, where will we go?" Brad asked.

"We'll stop near Tohjo Falls and find a Pokemon Center to take care of Mist." Freeze muttered. "After that, we'll wait for the Snaggers to show up. We can't risk going into the Indigo Plateau right now. We'll let the Snaggers deal with it."

"Are you sure?"

"If those Elite 4 guys see us, we're dead. If any Cipher goons find us, we're dead. If we can't find the Snaggers, we're dead. Our only option is to wait for them to find us…and pray they let us stay with them." Freeze sighed.

"Okay…"

The rest of the trip passed in silence. They would remain like that for the remainder of their trip. Freeze silently praying… Brad thinking about his family… Mist having nightmares of Anna and Dart… Lapras watching and listening for danger… Three traitors to Cipher just trying to get to Kanto alive.

_Cinnabar Island, the entrance to the Cinnabar Gym…_

"How long have we been waiting?" Blacky asked.

"Almost half an hour, Hannah. Be patient. Roen and Ookami will get here soon enough." Mark said.

Then the group heard it. Roen and Ookami turned the corner, running toward the group. "We have the Gym Key, guys! It was in the basement!" Roen cried. "We've got it! We can get in!"

"Alright!" Luffy cheered. "Let's do this! Open the door, Blaine."

"Give me a minute!" Blaine snapped, turning the key into the lock. The giant double doors swung open, leading onto a stone platform. Hanging in the center of the chamber was an arena suspended over a pool of lava by thick chains. "Well, this is…or was…my gym. Now where is that thief?"

"Right here, old man," Blazer was seated in the center of the arena, Molt at his side. "You gonna come down here and fight me or what? Come on! I've been waiting here for this fight."

One by one, the group of twelve jumped down to the arena. Once they were all there, Blazer stood up and walked to the far side of the arena. Molt remained in the center, Flare and Mr. Mime by his sides. "You'll have to get through me if you want to fight Blazer. I promise you, I'm not as weak as earlier."

"Yeah right!" Leena laughed. "Mark, let me deal with him. I'll show him who's the boss here."

"Go ahead if you want to," Mark shrugged, stepping aside for Leena.

Leena stepped forward. "So, is this a double battle?"

"Yeah, it is." Molt nodded. "Get ready to lose!"

"I'll make you eat those words, kid!" Leena smirked. "Sinner, Arcane!"

"Flare, Mr. Mime! Get ready, you two!" Molt warned.

Leena's Fearow shot into the air, circling overhead. Arcane growled, getting into his fighting stance. Flare and Mr. Mime both tensed, ready to attack or defend. Then the battle began! Mr. Mime started miming and Arcane stepped carefully, not wanting a repeat of the invisible wall incident earlier that day. Flare's eyes locked onto Sinner, trying to figure him out.

"Flare, Shadow Rush! Mr. Mime, Shadow Psychic!" Molt cried.

Flare charged, dodging a swipe of Arcane's paw before slamming into Arcane's chest. The Arcanine slid backward about half a foot before striking back, attempting to bite her. Flare jumped away, circling around him. A purple glow surrounded Arcane and suddenly the Fire-type shot a pillar of flame up at Sinner! The Fearow dodged, screeching in alarm.

"Darn it!" Leena hissed. "Sinner, use Drill Peck on Mr. Mime!"

Sinner went into a dive, pulling his wings close to his body to increase his speed. Seconds before he would collide into the ground, he pulled out of it and skimmed the arena floor. Then he was pecking Mr. Mime furiously…or trying to. "Fearow fear?" he cawed, backing up but seeing no problem. He attempted it again with the same results. "Fearow fear!"

"It must be the invisible walls! Sinner can't hit him if they're still up!" Zack cried, realizing the problem.

"But how do you break invisible walls?" KC asked.

"Maybe he can fly over it," Ookami suggested.

"Probably not," Jake replied. "Mr. Mime makes invisible walls normally in box shapes: four on all sides and one above to defend against attacks. It's a nearly impenetrable defense system. Very few can break through those walls."

"You mean we can't beat him?!" Blacky cried. "There has to be a way!"

"We'll think of that later!" Blaine snapped. "For now, Leena should focus on getting Arcane away from that Mr. Mime."

"Got it, Blaine!" Leena nodded. "Sinner, grab Flareon and fly up as high as you can!"

Sinner broke away from his chain of failed attacked and struck, trying to grab Flare. It wasn't as easy as he thought it might be. She kept ducking and fighting back, biting and clawing if he got too close. Growing angry, the Fearow grabbed her by the tail and shot into the sky. Flare barked loudly, attracting Mr. Mime's attention.

"Flare!" Molt cried. "Mr. Mime, use Shadow Psychic on that bird and crash him into that Arcanine!"

Arcanine backed up once he was released, having heard Molt's plan. A violet glow surrounded Sinner now, forcing him to turn around and drop Flare into Molt's open arms. Then he dove, aiming straight for Arcane! Leena shouted for him to help Sinner, so Arcane turned and waited until the glow faded. Seconds later, the bird and dog crashed to the ground in a heap. Leena dashed forward to check on them.

"Guys! Are you okay?" she asked.

Both nodded. Getting up, the duo prepared to fight again. Molt growled, putting Flare down. "You'll just lose again if you keep fighting me. My Mr. Mime's barriers are impenetrable! You should just turn around and leave but if you want to keep fighting, go ahead. It'll just be more training for my team." Molt said. "You'll never beat Blazer if you can't even get around me. I told you I was stronger, I was just holding back at the Pokemon Center."

_So that's why he just walked away! I thought the look in his eyes was strange but now I get it. He wasn't putting his all into our fight. He was waiting to go full force once we got here! Sneaky little devil…_ Leena glared at him angrily. "That explains it. But I'm not giving up… I'm going to avenge my sister! My parents! My entire family! I'll avenge every last one of them for what Cipher's done!"

"Huh?" Roen whispered. _I'm not the only one who lost someone to Cipher? Has everyone here lost someone?_

Blazer smirked. "Nice sob story, babe. But, really, neither of us cares. We joined Cipher for a reason and that reason didn't involve listening to others' sob stories about what we've done. We're just here to prove our existences and make the world a better place. Why stop us?"

"You call closing Pokemon's hearts a good thing?!" Mark shouted. "Those Pokemon are suffering and you're just forcing them to fight! That's not making the world better! Cipher's destroying it! People are dying!"

"And I care…why?" Blazer asked. "Yeah, I've never killed anyone but I've seen others do it. We're just eliminating those who get in our way. And those who get in our way are not needed in this world. If Arceus thought we were a bad thing, why hasn't it struck us down yet? Maybe Arceus wants a new world."

"We won't let it happen!" Mark yelled. "We're gonna stop Cipher if it's the last thing we do! I promised I would!"

"Promises are insignificant words that can be broken at any time. How many promises do you think the world has made only to break them?" Blazer asked. "Hundreds… Thousands… An unlimited amount of broken promises."

_That's just like what Mist said,_ Mark realized.

"Enough of this talking! Flare, use Shadow Fire!" Molt ordered. "Mr. Mime, use—" He never got to finish his orders for Mr. Mime.

The ground exploded under Mr. Mime's feet and Ninetales appeared, his teeth seizing one of the Psychic-type's arms and pinning it to the ground. The invisible walls shattered, leaving Mr. Mime wide open for more attacks. None came. Everyone stared in shock at the heavily-scarred Ninetales who had taken down Mr. Mime in one attack. Blazer merely glared. "You again," he said.

_Yes, it's me again,_ the Ninetales said telepathically. _I've come here to help destroy you for what you've done to me and my sister. I know you have her. Give her back!_

"That's the Ninetales I was chasing outside!" Mark said. "How did he get inside? Was he following us?"

"He probably was," Blaine agreed. "Cipher kidnapped a pair of Ninetales from Cinnabar a few months ago. Only one of them, that one in front of us, ever came back but he wandered around the island. He attacked anyone daring to get too close and tried to get into the gym, but he never could find the Gym Key."

"What happened to the other one?" Alex asked.

"His sister was probably turned into a Shadow Pokemon. And I assume, from what her brother is saying, that Blazer has her." Blaine muttered.

Blazer simply continued glaring at the Ninetales. "Why should I? She's proved herself to be a powerful addition to my Fire-type team. And even if I gave her back to you, it's very unlikely that she would know who you are."

_I don't care. I just want my sister back. You humans hurt us and then took her away from me, dropping me off on this island again._ Ninetales' tails flared out, almost all of his scars fully visible now. _I'll never forgive you humans. I'll take my sister back, even if it means killing you. Now give her back!!_ The Ninetales charged directly toward Blazer.

"Blazer!" Molt cried. "Flare, use Shadow Fire!"

"Molt, forget it! Get out of here!" Blazer shouted.

"Huh?" the 18 year old blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"This Ninetales was another experimental Pokemon from Cipher, just like the ones that girl Blacky has! He has the strength to match a Shadow Pokemon much stronger than yours!" Blazer explained quickly. "Go back to base and tell Prof. Pine that his Ninetales Project has appeared again. I'll fight the Snaggers in the meantime."

"But Blazer!"

"Just go! This is important, Molt!"

"O-okay, Blazer!" Grabbing his teleportation device, Molt and his Pokemon teleported back to the Cipher base.

"Now then…" Blazer turned toward the Snaggers and the charging Ninetales. "Let our fight begin! Typhlosion, keep the Ninetales busy! Blaziken, fight the Snaggers! Camerupt, help Blaziken!"

The three Shadow Pokemon appeared. Typhlosion jumped, sinking its teeth into Ninetales' shoulder. The fox yelped as he was flipped onto his back, using his back feet to kick Typhlosion's stomach as hard as he could. Typhlosion didn't budge, sinking its teeth deeper. Then it let go, only to aim for Ninetales' throat! Just before it could, a blast of electricity drove Typhlosion away. Ninetales flipped over to see a Pikachu. Sparks!

"Good job, Sparks!" Mark cheered.

_Why are you helping me?_ Ninetales asked.

"Pika pika! Pika…pi pikachu!" Sparks said, waving his arms. "Pikachu chu!"

…_I understand. Thank you, but please try to understand. I must destroy this human myself. My sister is at stake!_ Ninetales begged.

"You mean you're gonna kill Blazer?!" Alex cried. "But that's murder!"

_It's nothing I haven't done before,_ Ninetales growled. _Cipher has committed far worse crimes than murder. He's lucky I'm being lenient…_

"You call killing 'lenient'? You're nuts!" Luffy shouted. "We have a lot against Cipher but we'd never stoop to their level by killing!"

_Then you have no idea how dangerous Cipher truly is, human,_ Ninetales said. _Forgive me but please move. I have to save my sister and get revenge._

"Pika pi! Pi pikachu! Pi!" Sparks shook his head, putting himself between the scarred Ninetales and Blazer. "Pika! Pika pi! Pika…"

_I will say it one last time. Move!_ Ninetales snarled.

"Pika!" Sparks cried, shaking his head fiercely. "Pika pika! Pi pikachu! Pika!" Tears appeared in the corners of the Pikachu's eyes. "Pika…pi pikachu! Pika pi! Pika!"

"Sparks…" Ookami whimpered. She could feel the sadness radiating off of the Electric-type, as well as the growing rage from the Ninetales.

"Ninetales!" Mark cried. "We can't let you do that! Killing isn't what we do! I'll get your sister back, I promise. Let us handle this."

_No!_ Ninetales roared. _This is between me and him! Stay out of it! You have no idea how much I've suffered thanks to this man! Now I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done! Now move or die!!_

"Pika pi!" Sparks screamed in refusal.

"I'm surprised, Ninetales." The Fire-type glared angrily at Blazer as he spoke. "You're _that_ desperate to get your little sister back? Well then…if you want her so bad, come and get her!"

_Gladly!_ Ninetales snapped, leaping over Sparks and charging. Typhlosion suddenly barreled into him, smashing Ninetales into the arena floor with so much force that it cracked. Ninetales coughed, blood running from his jaws as he lay stunned. As Typhlosion pulled back its paw to finish the job, Sneasel shot forward and tossed it aside. Ninetales coughed, rolling onto his stomach. _Why…do you con…tinue to insist on…helping me?_

"Pika pika," Sparks said. "Pika pi. Pi pikachu pi. Chu chu!"

Ninetales slowly staggered to his paws. _So…it seems I am not the only one who has lost something precious to Cipher. Each and every one of your companions has lost something, too. How ironic…_

"Blaziken, use Shadow Blaze Kick!" Blazer ordered. "Finish that fox off once and for all!"

A single punch tossed Sparks into Sneasel, leaving the heavily-wounded Ninetales alone. As the Blaziken's foot came down for the finishing blow, a blast of wind threw him backward a few feet. Mark turned to see Ryan with his Froslass, her arms outstretched in front of her in preparation for a second Ominous Wind attack. Blaziken growled, flames erupting from his wrists in anger. "Blaze!" he barked.

"Great job, Ryan!" Mark said.

Ryan nodded. "We have to help him." It was clear that the 15 year old meant Ninetales, not Blazer.

"Blaziken, get ready to strike again!" Blazer shouted. "Don't back down no matter what! Got that?"

"Blaziken! Blaze!" the birdman Pokemon nodded.

"Get ready, guys! Blazer's gonna attack!" Mark warned.

"Eon, Nightslash! Get ready for anything, you two!" Blacky said, releasing her two Eevee. Nightslash nodded, black fur bristling as he put himself in front of his younger brother.

Eon was a multi-colored Eevee, seemingly a mix between all of his evolutions and a Dragon-type. His body was still the similar brown of an original Eevee but with many differences. His nose was bright blue and he had yellow eyes. His ears were pure white, his paws were red, and the tip of his tail was green. An orange stripe ran down his back and his neck fur was a brilliant mix of purple and black. He bared his teeth and growled, fur bristling.

Suddenly, Ninetales jumped over Blaziken and raced toward Blazer. _This ends now, human! Prepare to die!_ His jaws revealed sharp teeth and his claws were exposed, ready to rip and tear into flesh. His red eyes were wide in excitement.

"Then come and get me, fox!" Blazer shouted, grinning like an idiot. "It's not gonna be easy killing me, though!"

_I'm destined to go down in flames,_ the Ninetales growled. _I'm already going to hell, so I'll take you down with me!_

"I don't think so, fox!" Blazer laughed. "Shadow Camerupt, now!"

"Ninetales, look out!" Leena screamed, but she knew she was already too late.

Everything was happening so fast now. One minute, he was moments away from getting his revenge and now pain was exploding from his chest. The Ninetales saw the bright red cow-like Fire-type ram him from underneath, flipping the fox far above Blazer's head. Then the screaming began, along with Blazer's laughter. A single look down confirmed Ninetales' greatest fears. He had been thrown off of the arena and was on a one-way trip to the lava pool far below. Even his own mystic powers couldn't save him from this.

_I'm falling down…down from earth and into hell. Am I going to die here? What will happen to my sister? Is she destined to remain the servant of those vile humans? Please no…no…_ Ninetales closed his eyes, accepting his fate. If Arceus planned for him to die, then he would welcome it warmly. If what the green-haired human had said was true, his sister would be safe soon. _Please take care of her…Mark._ He was surprised he had known the boy's name, not that it mattered now. Nothing mattered anymore with death so close to him.

Blaine suddenly smiled. "I'm afraid that your little victory won't happen, Blazer."

"Huh? What does that mean, old man?" Blazer growled.

"I told you once before, thief. This is _my_ gym and the home of my best Pokemon. You haven't forgotten him, have you?" Blaine asked. "If so, I'll simply refresh your memory. Magmar, now!"

The Spitfire Pokemon erupted from the lava, holding out its arms to catch the wounded Ninetales. Launching itself upward, a giant leap landed the two Fire-types onto the arena. Magmar placed Ninetales on the ground, where Ookami quickly began checking his injuries. Blaine smiled as his best Pokemon stood by his side. The Snaggers stared in shock. "You mean Magmar was still here?" Jake asked, unfazed.

"Of course! Why wouldn't he be?" Blaine chuckled. "I knew I'd need Magmar once we fought him, so I had him stay in the volcano and wait for my signal to come out. It seems that was the best choice, especially since that Ninetales would have died if Magmar hadn't saved it."

Blazer clenched his fist, growling in frustration. _Why can't I even get rid of one little fox?! Oh well, I'll just eliminate them all at once!_ "Blaziken, Typhlosion, Camerupt! All three of you, attack together! Take those pests out!"

"Now what?" Zack asked.

"We'll match them three for three!" Mark replied. "Blaine, you in?"

"Indeed, I am! Magmar!" Blaine watched as Magmar stepped forward, ready to fight.

"Froslass, let's help." Ryan and Froslass stepped up, making it a three vs. three Pokemon battle. "Ready?"

"Ready! Let's do this!" Mark cried.

The six Pokemon lunged at each other, beginning the fight. Blazer glared at Ookami and the Ninetales angrily, not paying attention to the fight. His fingers lingered on his fourth Poke Ball. _If my three are taken out, then I'll toss her out. I wonder how Ninetales reacts when he sees how much his precious sister has changed. Either way, this battle is mine!_

While Ookami fretted over the Ninetales' injuries, he slowly woke up. _Where…am I?_ he asked slowly. _Am I…dead?_

**Next Chapter:** Fight For Your Life

"Blaziken, use Shadow Fire Punch!" Blazer yelled.

"Sparks, dodge it!" Mark cried.

"Magmar, help Froslass!" Blaine ordered.

The reptilian-duck Pokemon landed by the wounded Froslass, picking her up and backing up as Blaziken came closer. The Blaziken pulled back his fist before punching the arena floor as hard as he could, missing the Pikachu by inches. As Sparks retreated, a loud series of cracking noises sounded. Staring down at the ground, the Blaziken's eyes widened in fear and it turned to rejoin his trainer.

"Mark, what's happening?!" Will demanded.

"I don't know!" Mark barked.

"Well, I do!" Blaine interrupted. "The force of Blaziken's punch has broken the arena floor. The cracks and dents from earlier in the fight are only making it worse."

"Blaine, what's gonna happen?" Luffy asked, eyes locked on the quickly-cracking arena floor.

"Well, to put it simply…" Blaine backed up a bit. "The arena is breaking apart, Luffy. It's going to break with us still on it."

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Hey, everyone! I hope this makes up for how late it was. I hope my computer doesn't crash again anytime soon. I've posted most of these chapters on deviantart in case you want to check it out there. Mist-Sensei and I are also working on a PMD story that will be posted on deviantart soon, so check it out if you can once it's up. I hope you liked the chapter. Please review!


	33. Chapter 33: Fight For Your Life

Hey, everyone! It seems most of you are still reading this. I'm glad about that. KCSonic113, your idea will happen in this chapter. Ketchum Kid, I'm surprised you can see most of this actually happening in anime form too! When I'm writing the chapters or thinking about ideas, I try to imagine them happening in an anime version of this and I usually come up with incredible ideas that way. Great minds think alike. Don't worry, TK's Pokemon won't be snagged. Terra and TK are officially paired up for the Viridian Gym battle. As for thinking toward the future, my mind's already at the beginning of Johto, surprisingly! I have a lot planned, as you can see. 

As for the Cipher Elite Four, you can start making them starting now (in Cinnabar) through the Viridian Gym battle so I have them directly before the Cipher Elite Four and Cipher Champion challenges. Since none of the Elite Four are known yet, you reviewers can start brainstorming for them. The Cipher Champion has already been created by Mist-Sensei but he won't appear until the Snaggers reach the Indigo Plateau. Hope that answers your question, Ketchum Kid.

Thanks for the 5000+ hits, everyone! Onto the story!

Chapter 33: Fight For Your Life

The sounds of battle rang in the fox Pokemon's ears as he tried to remember what happened. He remembered falling toward the lava and then darkness. What happened to him? "Are you okay, Ninetales?" a gentle voice asked.

_Who…are you?_ Ninetales asked, slowly opening his eyes.

"I'm Ookami, one of the Snaggers. I'm trying to take care of your wounds, so don't move too much." He saw a brunette girl with sad green eyes looking down at him. "You're lucky Blaine's Magmar saved you, Ninetales. You could've died."

_My sister…Is she all right?_ Ninetales asked. _Is that human dead yet?_

Ookami sighed and shook her head. "We told you, Ninetales. We're not going to kill Blazer. We don't do that. And we haven't seen your sister yet. Mark promised to save her, so don't worry. Blaine, Ryan, and Mark are fighting him right now."

Ninetales turned his head slightly to see that battle. Blazer's three Pokemon were battling against a Magmar, Froslass, and Pikachu. His sister wasn't there yet. _Please be all right…_

"Why do you want to kill Blazer?" Ookami asked. "There are other ways to save your sister. You don't have to kill."

_It's the only way I know,_ Ninetales replied.

"Maybe you should find another way," Ookami said gently. "…What will you do after you get your sister back?"

…_I don't know. Why?_

"We're going to stop Cipher once and for all. That's what my friends and I will do after this. We have to…" Ookami looked up at Leena, who came over.

"What's wrong, Ookami?" she asked.

"Can you check my shoulder? I think it might be bleeding again. Or it might just be sweat from the heat."

"It's just sweat, Ookami, but be careful anyway."

"Okay," The brunette returned to bandaging Ninetales' wounds. "Where did you get all of these scars?"

_From that human and his friends. They forced me to fight many Shadow Pokemon before they abandoned me. Why they kept my sister, I don't know._

"That's horrible! Don't worry, Ninetales! Mark will get your sister back, I promise!"

_And why should I trust you or him? Why should I trust any of you humans?_ Ninetales growled.

"Well…" Ookami suddenly smiled. "We always keep our promises, Ninetales. I promise we'll get your sister back."

_Is that all? You expect me to trust you because you keep promises? Anyone can say that,_ Ninetales said.

"But not everyone can mean it." Ookami replied.

Ninetales fell silent before speaking again. _If you can keep that promise, I'll trust you. If you can't, I'll never trust humans again._

"Okay," Ookami looked up at her friends as they fought Blazer. _Please hurry, guys. I have a bad feeling all of a sudden._

KC yelped as the arena floor shook once more and started waving his arms frantically as he nearly fell over the edge. Luffy quickly caught his younger brother, pulling him to safety. "Stay away from the edge, KC! You could've fallen off!" he scolded.

"Sorry, but all the shaking is making me lose my balance!" KC complained.

"Maybe we should go back up to the stone platform." Will suggested, pointing to the platform on the other side of the stone pillars.

"Good idea, especially before someone falls off." Zack agreed. "So, who goes first?"

"Ookami, you go!" Leena called. "I'll carry Ninetales right behind you."

"Okay," The brunette stood up and carefully walked toward the edge, jumping to the first pillar. Slowly, she hopped across the other two before reaching the platform. "Leena, you can go across now!"

"Give me a second, will you? This guy's heavier than he looks!" Leena barked, hauling the wounded Ninetales into her arms before hopping across. Will and Zack followed close behind, shoving her upright if she started to tilt too much from the extra weight. The trio made it across, causing Leena to collapse against the wall after putting Ninetales down. "Great Arceus, that was scary. I was sure I was gonna fall at any minute carrying that big guy."

"Be glad you didn't drop him either. Magmar isn't down there to save him if you did." Jake warned, reaching the platform. He reached out to grab Blacky's hand and helped her up. "There you are, Blacky. Luffy, KC! You coming up?"

"No, I'm staying down here!" Luffy replied. "KC, Alex?"

"I'm staying too! I'll you up if you want to leave, Alex." KC volunteered.

"No thanks. I'm staying here with you two." The arena shook once again, making Alex cling to KC's arm. "On second thought, I think I'll go up!"

"Be careful, KC!" Luffy barked as the duo started hopping across the pillars. "Mark, you better hurry it up…"

_Prof. Ivy's lab, Valencia Island of the Orange Islands…_

"Will Zapdos be all right, Prof. Ivy?" Prof. Oak asked.

Prof. Ivy sighed, looking through the large pane of glass toward the unconscious Legendary. Its wing was bandaged up. "I hope so, Prof. Oak. Its wing is badly damaged and might take weeks, even months, to fully heal. I'm afraid to say but Zapdos won't be flying for a long time."

"Isn't there anything else we can do for it?" Tracy asked. "Even Nurse Joy can't take care of this?"

"Nurse Joy's machines have never tried to heal a Legendary Pokemon before, Tracy." Prof. Ivy replied. "We can't heal it in that way unless one of us captures it, and that's not an option right now. There's nothing more we can do other than take care of it and wait for its wing to heal naturally."

"I wish there was something else we could do…" Tracy suddenly realized something. "Maybe someone born in the Viridian Forest could help it? I know it sounds crazy but I overheard Jake mentioning it to Ookami. Maybe she was born there."

"Well, it's definitely not the craziest thing I've heard of." Prof. Oak muttered. "It just might work. We'll call Mark and the others once Blaine contacts me about Cinnabar Island's Gym."

"Ookami?" Prof. Ivy asked. "Would you happen to mean Ookami Ryuuyuki?"

"Yes, that's her! How did you know?" Tracy asked.

"It's merely a legend I've heard of but the Ryuuyuki is a famous family of Pokemon trainers known as the Absols of the human world." Prof. Ivy explained. "My former colleague, Matsuri Arina, was married to a Ryuuyuki but divorced him after their child was born. She wasn't ready for a child and left them to help me here on Valencia Island, promising to return to him one day."

"What happened?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Her husband died in a rockslide, leaving her daughter alone. Matsuri was going to find her but she grew very ill. After all this time, it's only gotten worse and worse. The doctors of Two Island, where she is currently staying, say she has a short time left to live. Matsuri wants to apologize and give a gift to her daughter. That gift happens to be a young Pachirisu. Ironic since Matsuri's daughter is named Risu Ryuuyuki."

"What's the legend?" Tracy asked.

"Anyone who marries into the Ryuuyuki family will die not long after having children. But upon joining the Ryuuyuki, one gains a better understanding of Pokemon and their feelings." Prof. Ivy turned to look at them. "The entire Ryuuyuki family only does natural birth and it normally takes place in forests. It's rumored that the first Ryuuyuki couple had their children in the Viridian Forest, giving them powers of healing and understanding. I'm surprised that Matsuri has lived this long…"

"So, you're saying that Ookami may be able to heal Zapdos?" Prof. Oak summarized.

"I believe so. Tell me, Tracy, did Ookami ever touch Zapdos while it was injured?" Prof. Ivy asked.

"Um, yes. She touched its wing and started crying. Why?"

"Zapdos' wing isn't broken anymore," Prof. Ivy replied. "It's merely damaged. The bone isn't even fractured. I think Ookami may have healed it unknowingly."

"You're kidding!" Prof. Oak cried. "You mean Zapdos might be able to leave soon?"

"Maybe, but I want to do a bit more research on Zapdos first." Prof. Ivy stated. "The longer we keep it here, the longer Cipher must wait to finish their plans. I know we can't keep it here forever but Zapdos must be better protected once we let it go."

"What was the point of calling us here if Zapdos was fine?" Tracy asked.

"I wanted to see if you knew why it wasn't as hurt as you reported, Tracy. Now I know that one of the Ryuuyuki family is with the Snaggers. There are only four left of the once-powerful family, not including Matsuri." Prof. Ivy turned to Prof. Oak. "When you call the Snaggers, tell Ookami thank you and to have Risu Ryuuyuki call me. I think it's time Matsuri had the chance to apologize to her daughter."

_Cinnabar Island Gym…_

"Pika…CHUUUUU!!" Sparks cried, electricity exploding from his tiny body. Typhlosion roared in pain before smacking Sparks away with one paw. As it advanced, Magmar crashed into its side and sent Typhlosion skidding away. Sparks struggled to his feet and nodded to Magmar. "Pika pi!"

"Mag," Magmar agreed.

"Froslass, Ominous Wind!" Ryan ordered.

Froslass opened her arms, unleashing a deadly blast of wind upon Camerupt. The cow-like Pokemon lowered itself closer to the ground to avoid the attack, grunting as it fought to stand its ground. Then it started to get cold. Raising its head, a chunk of ice hit Camerupt straight between the eyes. Bellowing, it reared up on its back feet and was swept away by the winds, colliding with Typhlosion.

"Fros!" Froslass laughed.

"Good girl," Ryan complimented. "Get ready,"

"Magmar, use Skull Bash!" Blaine shouted.

"Blaziken, use Shadow Blaze Kick!" Blazer cried.

Blaziken's foot hurtled toward Magmar's head, only to have Magmar stop the attack with his bare hands. Shoving the feathered foot aside, Magmar shot forward and smashed his head as hard as he could against Blaziken's chest. A few small cracks were heard and Blaziken bit back a shout, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A single punch threw Magmar away, allowing Blaziken to clutch his wounded chest and retreat a few paces back to Blazer.

"Blaziken…" Blazer glared hatefully at Magmar. "Camerupt, use Shadow Take Down!"

Camerupt grunted, lowering its head so it could no longer see. Pawing the ground, it charged directly toward Magmar! The reptilian-duck Pokemon quickly jumped up, watching as the cow continued charging blindly. It was only seconds before impact that Luffy realized what Camerupt would end up hitting.

"Alex, KC! Get out of there!" Luffy shouted.

"Huh?" KC looked over his shoulder.

Camerupt crashed face-first into the first stone pillar, knocking itself out and shattering the pillar. The remains of the first pillar crashed into the second, breaking that one, too. KC yelped, shoving Alex onto the platform as the third stone pillar crumbled under his feet. Alex screamed and tried to grab KC's hand, missing only by inches. As the three pillars were destroyed, KC fell toward the lava far below.

"KC!" Luffy cried.

Blazer laughed as the Snaggers only means of running from the battle were destroyed, taking one Snagger down with it. "Looks like you can't run from me anymore!" he said. "Too bad that little boy fell down with it, too. Unfortunately, you can mourn his death later…after I win this fight! Typhlosion, use Shadow Flame Wheel on Froslass!"

Froslass screamed as the fire burned her, causing her to crash to the ground. Typhlosion prepared to finish her off, only to be punched away by Magmar's Fire Punch. Mark quickly turned and captured Shadow Camerupt with a Snag Ball just as Blazer prepared to return it.

"Mark, what do we do now?" Luffy asked. "We have to help KC!"

"We have very little chance of helping him right now, Luffy. Unless you have a Flying-type strong enough to carry a human across boiling hot lava, I think KC is as good as gone. I'm very sorry, Luffy." Blaine replied. "He was a good boy and friend."

"Well, the fight isn't over yet!" Mark muttered. "Here he comes!"

"Blaziken, use Shadow Fire Punch!" Blazer yelled.

"Sparks, dodge it!" Mark cried.

"Magmar, help Froslass!" Blaine ordered.

The reptilian-duck Pokemon landed by the wounded Froslass, picking her up and backing up as Blaziken came closer. The Blaziken pulled back his fist before punching the arena floor as hard as he could, missing the Pikachu by inches. As Sparks retreated, a loud series of cracking noises sounded. Staring down at the ground, the Blaziken's eyes widened in fear and it turned to rejoin his trainer.

"Mark, what's happening?!" Will demanded.

"I don't know!" Mark barked.

"Well, I do!" Blaine interrupted. "The force of Blaziken's punch has broken the arena floor. The cracks and dents from earlier in the fight are only making it worse."

"Blaine, what's gonna happen?" Luffy asked, eyes locked on the quickly-cracking arena floor.

"Well, to put it simply…" Blaine backed up a bit. "The arena is breaking apart, Luffy. It's going to break with us still on it."

"And we can't get off because Blazer broke the pillars leading up to the platform!" Mark added.

"Win or lose, we die." Ryan said. "We all die,"

"Blazer won't! He still has his stone pillars." Luffy pointed out. "If we can get to them, we can still get off of this arena. You guys try to finish Blazer. I'll find a way to help my little brother."

"Good luck, Luffy." Mark said, patting the older boy's shoulder. "Don't do anything too reckless."

"Nothing's too reckless if it involves family or friends, Mark." Luffy replied. "You guys don't do anything too reckless."

"Remember 'nothing's too reckless if it involves family or friends,' Luffy?" Mark chuckled.

"Touché, Mark. See you later!" Luffy inched his way closer to the edge of the arena, trying to figure out a plan to save his little brother.

Fortunately, his little brother was already being saved for him. KC was falling amidst the remains of the broken pillars when two of his Poke Balls started shaking. _I'm gonna die. I'm really gonna die,_ he thought. _After everything I've been through with my brother and the Snaggers, and this is how my life ends?! This can't be happening!_

Both of his Poke Balls burst open, revealing his Charmander and Squirtle. Both Pokemon caught his sleeves and realized what was going on. Both Pokemon looked at each other and nodded. Charmander started inching his way toward the back of KC's shirt while Squirtle remained on KC's sleeve. The duo smiled as if to say 'Don't worry, KC. We won't let anything bad happen to you. Everything's gonna be all right, I promise.'

KC's eyes filled with tears. "Guys, I'm so sorry it has to end like this. You fought so hard for me and this is all that happens to us."

"Squirtle squirt! Squirtle squirt squirt!" Squirtle shook his head. "Squirt squirtle squirt! Squirtle!"

"Char!" Charmander nodded. "Char char! Char char char char! Char!"

"Huh?" Then KC realized something. Both Pokemon were glowing! They were evolving! They had been holding back on evolving for so long that he had almost forgotten that they could. "Guys! You're evolving!"

"Char char!"

"Squirtle squirt!"

Two voices suddenly sounded in his head. "You saved us! Now we're saving you!" It was Charmander and Squirtle's voices!

"Guys…" The tears were flowing freely now. KC smiled. "Thank you!" Memories flashed through his mind of when he first met the two Pokemon.

_An eight-year-old KC walked beside his older brother as they traveled through Kanto. Winter had set in not long ago, covering the ground with frost and completely freezing small lakes and streams. They were just passing one of these frozen lakes when KC spotted something._

"_Luffy, what's that?"_

"_It's a Squirtle!" Luffy cried. "And it looks like it's stuck out there on the ice!"_

"_I'll get it!" KC slid down the slope and started crawling across the ice on his ands and knees._

"_No, KC! Come back! It's dangerous out there!" Luffy shouted._

"_Don't worry, big brother!" KC replied. "I'll be oka—Aaaah!"_

_The ice broke, sending the young boy plunging beneath the freezing waters of the lake. Luffy screamed, fumbling through his Poke Balls when he heard a smaller splash. Looking up, he realized that the Squirtle was gone. Seconds passed before KC popped up, coughing and sputtering as he clung to the Squirtle's shell. Taking the risk, Luffy crawled across the ice and grabbed KC, pulling him and Squirtle free._

_Once they were back on land, Luffy gave KC quite the scolding. "You knew it was dangerous. You deliberately disobeyed me. You nearly killed yourself. KC, what were you thinking?!"_

"_I had to help the Squirtle, big brother! It was hurt and scared!" KC whined. "I had to help it. Something just told me to!"_

_Luffy's anger faded as his eyes drifted toward the young Squirtle. The little turtle was barely fully grown and yet it had managed to keep his younger brother above water for so long. Kneeling down, he patted it on the head. "Thanks for saving my brother, little guy."_

"_Squirtle squirt!" it nodded. "Squirt?"_

"_Come on, KC. Let's find a Pokemon Center and get you cleaned up."_

_Only a few minutes after setting off, Luffy noticed the squirtle following them. KC smiled and picked it up. "Can I keep him, big brother?" he asked. "Please?" KC put on his cutest face, the one Luffy was never able to say 'no' to. "I'll take good care of him, I promise."_

"_Well…you're not supposed to have Pokemon until you're ten years old, KC." Luffy replied. "But there's no rule against just letting it travel around with you until you can catch it."_

"_Yes! Thank you so much, big brother!" KC cried, hugging Squirtle. "You and I are gonna be the bestest friends ever, Squirtle!"_

"_Squirtle squirt!" Squirtle nodded._

_It was only half a year later that, near that same spot, KC found Charmander. The rivers had turned brown with mud since it had rained hard the previous night. KC was wandering around on his own with his beloved Squirtle when he had heard cries of distress. It was Squirtle who pointed out the location to the nine-year-old boy._

_Charmander was ducking with his paws over his head on a flat rock near the center of the raging river. His tail flame was barely flickering and Charmander was crying out in pain as the water splashed him. KC and Squirtle both nodded to each other before diving into the river to rescue him. KC clung to the now fully-grown Squirtle's shell as the Water-type started swimming through the current toward the rock._

_Then disaster struck. A large wave of muddy water knocked Charmander off of the rock and splashing head-first into the river. KC cried out and managed to grab Charmander's paw, hauling him as high out of the water as he could. Squirtle started struggling back to the bank and, once there, stared in shock at Charmander. His tail flame was out._

_KC started to cry. He had tried so hard to save the Fire-type but only succeeded in killing it. Squirtle, not one to give up so easily, gathered leaves and placed them at the tip of the Charmander's tail. Blowing gently, a tiny wisp of smoke appeared. "Squirtle squirt!" he cheered as flames started devouring the leaves._

"_Char…?" Charmander blinked as he woke up._

"_You're okay, Charmander. You're safe now." KC reassured, smiling. "You're okay."_

_After he recovered, the Charmander stubbornly followed KC until the boy happily accepted him as a friend. The trio remained together ever since, gaining new friends and having many adventures. Though, Charmander and Squirtle still fought over which was stronger: water or fire._

KC's smile grew as he wrapped his arms around his newly-evolved Charmeleon's rapidly lengthening neck as he evolved a second time. The Fire-type's claws hooked firmly underneath the edge of the evolving Wartortle's shell. Finally the glow ceased, revealing a brilliant Charizard and a tough Blastoise. Pumping his new wings, Charizard started ascending toward the arena high above them. Blastoise pointed his new shell-mounted cannons toward the lava and let loose gallons of cold water, cooling a patch of boiling lava into stone.

The Charizard stopped flapping his wings, allowing the trio to land on the stone Blastoise had created. Sliding off of Charizard's back, KC stared in awe at his Pokemon. "You guys look awesome!" he cried, hugging them.

"Char!"

"Blast!"

KC heard a loud series of cracks and looked up to see the arena slowly falling apart around the edges. Pieces of the arena fell and splashed into the lava, melting instantly. His eyes widened in fear as he saw Luffy peer over the edge. "We've got to help them, guys! They're in trouble!"

_Up on the stone platform…_

"Now what? Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Blacky asked.

"Not that I know of," Jake replied. "I'm sure Mark has a plan, though. He always seems to, even if it isn't really clear to see."

"He better not get himself killed!" Will barked.

"I'm sure he won't die, Will. And neither will anyone else down there, Blazer included." Leena pointed out.

"But what about KC?!" Alex demanded. "How is KC gonna get out of this alive? Well? How?!" Tears were appearing in the corners of her blue eyes.

Leena smiled. _So, she does like him._ "I'm sure he'll be fine, too. Ookami, how's Ninetales?"

"He's still hurt," the brunette reported. "A few of his old wounds opened up when Camerupt tossed him off the arena. He's bleeding badly, too. In other words, not good. He needs to see a Pokemon Center."

"Well, we'll have to leave the volcano if we want to help him." Zack muttered. "But what if Mark needs us here?"

"Ookami, try to help him as best you can. Once this fight is over, we'll get him to the Pokemon Center right away." Roen said. _Then I can show Mark that journal about Mewtwo and Cipher that my mother wrote in._

"I'll try," Ookami nodded.

"I hope KC's okay…" Alex wiped away the tears with the back of one hand.

"I'm sure he's fine, just like Leena said." Blacky wrapped a comforting arm around Alex's shoulders. "Just trust in KC and he'll come back. I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end."

"And if it doesn't?" Alex sniffed.

"It's best not to think of things like that, Alex." Blacky replied softly, hugging the blue-haired girl. "Just think of happy things, okay?"

Alex frowned. "Okay…"

On the arena, Luffy smiled upon seeing KC far below them. _Don't worry, Alex. KC's just fine…_ Suddenly, a piece of the arena barely a foot away from him fell away. Luffy jumped in surprise, backing up. "Mark, better hurry this up! The arena's breaking up!" he called.

"I know!" the green-haired Snagger replied. "Sparks, use Quick Attack and then Iron Tail!"

The Pikachu sped toward Typhlosion and then jumped high into the air, tail glowing brilliant silver. Twirling around, Sparks crashed his glowing tail down on the Fire-type's head. Roaring in agony, Typhlosion stepped backward and was rammed into by Magmar. Letting out a final cry, the Shadow Pokemon collapsed. Typhlosion vanished into a Snag Ball seconds before Blazer could return it.

Blazer grabbed his Shadow Ninetales' Poke Ball, ready to use her. He had lost Typhlosion and Camerupt already. He wasn't risking losing Blaziken, too. "Time to end this once and for all. Shadow Ninetales, come on out!" Blazer ordered, tossing the Poke Ball.

Hearing his sister's name, Ninetales slowly lifted his head. His red eyes widened in terror at the sight of his little sister. _No…_ he whispered.

Shadow Ninetales was a blue-gray color with black tail tips. Her glowing red eyes glared at the Snaggers with hatred. She bared his fangs and unsheathed her claws for battle. When her eyes met those of her brother, they held no hint of recognition. She didn't know who he was, only that she was made to fight. Black balls of fire floated in a large ring around her body.

_What did you do to her, human?!!_ Ninetales roared in rage. _What have you done to my sister?! Answer me!!_

"We've done to her like we've done to all of our Shadow Pokemon, Ninetales." Blazer replied. "Her heart has been closed, erasing her emotions and memories. She's merely a fighting machine that serves humans until she takes her last breath."

_You monster! I'll kill you!_ As he attempted to get up, pain shot through the Ninetales' many injuries. He collapsed again, coughing. _If it's the last thing I do, I'll avenge my sister. I promise!_

"Ninetales, we'll get her back! I promise I will!" Mark said. "Just leave this to us! Trust me!"

"Trust and promises don't win battles, Mark. Only strength and power does!" Blazer snapped. "Shadow Ninetales, use Shadow Fire!"

Opening her mouth, the Ninetales unleashed a barrage of black flames. Magmar countered with his own Fire Blast, trying to keep the attack at bay for as long as he could. The colliding attacks exploded, veiling the arena in a thick cloud of smoke. Mark looked around wildly until something crashed into his chest, sending him sprawling across the field. A single blue-gray paw rested on his chest, keeping him pinned.

The smoke cleared, revealing his assailant as Shadow Ninetales. Blaziken had positioned himself between them and the other Snaggers. Magmar was fighting Blaziken in hand-to-hand combat, trying to get around him. Blaziken wasn't leaving any openings, though. Blazer smirked, on the verge of laughing.

"Mark!" Luffy cried, grabbing Machamp's Poke Ball.

Blazer waved a finger, causing Shadow Ninetales to press her paw down harder. A loud crack sounded but it wasn't from Mark. It was from the floor beneath him! She had shoved him near the edge of the arena, with his head just over the edge of the quickly-breaking field. "You do anything I don't like and you can say goodbye to Mark, Snagger brats!" Blazer laughed. "Try winning this fight now!"

"Gladly!" a voice cried.

"KC?!" Luffy yelped, searching for his little brother.

"Where the heck are you, brat?" Blazer called. "Try anything funny and Mark dies!"

"Don't worry! What I'm about to do won't be funny!" KC replied. "It'll be totally serious! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

Charizard shot past the arena edge near Mark, causing Shadow Ninetales to jump and abandon the Snagger. KC smiled from his place on the Fire-type's back and pointed to Blaziken. Blastoise, who was being carried by Charizard, aimed his cannons at Blaziken and fired. Blaziken howled in pain, howling again when Magmar shoved him aside. He collapsed, defeated. Blazer quickly returned Blaziken and growled, glaring up at KC.

"Stupid brat," he growled.

"Sparks, use Volt Tackle on Shadow Ninetales!" Mark shouted.

"What?!" Blazer cried.

Shadow Ninetales shot the black fireballs that ringed her body at Sparks, only for the Pikachu to dodge each one. Electricity crackled around his body as he sped up, aiming for Shadow Ninetales' chest. "Pika…pika…CHUUUU!!" Sparks collided with Shadow Ninetales, knocking her out instantly. Blazer screamed in rage while Ninetales stared in shock.

"We win, Blazer!" Mark said, tossing a Snag Ball and capturing Shadow Ninetales. "You lose!"

Blazer fell to his knees in defeat. "I…lost? No way…"

"You lost, Blazer." Luffy confirmed. "Hand over the badge and get out. We won fair and square."

"…Fine, take the dumb thing." Blazer tossed them a black and violet flame-shaped Gym Badge. "I'll get you back for this, I swear on it. You won this battle but we'll win the war."

"Yeah, yeah, now scram!" Blaine barked. "Thanks to you, my whole gym needs repairs!"

Blazer teleported away immediately. Only seconds later, the chains holding the Snaggers' part of the gym suspended over the lava started creaking. One finally snapped, causing the corner Mark was on to start tilting toward the lava. The Snagger slid toward the lava, scrambling for a handhold to stop himself from falling. His waist down was over the edge since he had turned around. His green eyes widened in terror.

"Mark!" Alex screamed.

Ninetales growled before dragging himself to his feet. Pain or no pain, this boy had kept his promise to him. Taking a flying leap, the Fire-type landed on the arena and jumped down to the sinking corner of the field. Just as Mark's chest slipped over the edge, something sharp sank into his left shoulder. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see Ninetales trying to pull him up.

"Ninetales!" Mark gasped. "What are you doing? You're too hurt!"

_Pain is merely an illusion, something life uses to tell you where your limits are. I have no need for such a thing, especially if the life of someone precious to me hangs in the balance,_ Ninetales said, slowly tugging Mark up.

"Someone…precious?" Mark repeated.

_Yes,_ Ninetales replied. _You kept your promise to me. You saved my sister and defeated the human. For that, I respect you and you are precious to me. For you, I would do anything to repay for all you've done for my sister and I. Anything…_

Suddenly, the second chain snapped. The whole right side of the arena began falling, taking Blaine, the Snaggers, and Ninetales with it. Then it all came to a stop. Luffy looked up and smirked. "Great job, KC!"

Blastoise was now on the stone platform with the other Snaggers. Charizard and KC were high above the arena, the Fire-type holding the broken edges of the chains in his hands. Pumping his wings, Charizard placed the chains back together and released a blast of fire, melting the metal together again. A blast of water from Blastoise cooled the melted metal, reattaching the chains and steadying the arena once more.

Roen and Jake used their Flying-type Pokemon to bring Mark and the others back to the stone platform. After making sure everyone was all right, they turned to KC. "KC, you're okay! I was so worried!" Alex hugged the raven-haired boy, crying.

"Hey, I'm okay now, Alex. Don't cry." KC hugged her back. "If it weren't for Charmander and Squirtle evolving when they did, I really would be dead."

"This is Squirtle and Charmander?" Ookami asked, looking up at the fully-evolved Pokemon in shock. "How did they evolve two levels at once?"

"Just like Alex's Sneasel, they refused to evolve at first." KC explained. "But when I was in danger just then, they decided evolving was the only way to save me. But they didn't save just me. They saved everyone!"

"And now that we're all safe, how about we go to those hot springs I was telling Ookami and Alex about?" Leena suggested. "I think we all need a little relaxation after this terrifying battle."

"I agree," Mark nodded. "Let's do it!"

After saying goodbye to Blaine and Magmar, the group headed to the Pokemon Center to prepare for the hot springs. While the others went on ahead, Mark stayed behind. "Ninetales, what are you gonna do now?" he asked.

Ninetales yawned and stretched, his injuries healed into new scars. _I'm guessing you're taking my sister with you. If so, I'm coming with you. I was separated from her once. Even if she doesn't remember me, I want to be with her always._

"Are you sure? You might have to fight Shadow Pokemon a lot." Mark said.

_They don't frighten me. I'll fight as much as you want if you'll let me come with you. I promise to follow your every command,_ Ninetales vowed. _Just please let me remain with my sister._

"…Sure, why not? Welcome to the team, Ninetales!" Mark smiled, grabbing a Poke Ball. Tapping it against Ninetales' head, the Fire-type vanished into the device in a flash of red light. Opening it, Ninetales reappeared and bowed his head. "Let's go to that hot spring, Ninetales. I'm sure they let Pokemon in, too."

"Pika pi!" Sparks cried in joy.

_Thank you, Mark._ Mark, Sparks, and Ninetales ran toward the hot springs as fast as they could. For the first time in his life since Cipher brought him back to Cinnabar Island, the fox Pokemon actually felt happy and relaxed around humans. He was glad.

_On the island that houses Cipher, boss' chambers…_

TK entered the pitch black room, looking around carefully. _I can't see a thing in this room. No wonder nobody knows what the boss looks like,_ he thought. Then he noticed a brunette woman standing in the room with him just before the door closed behind him. "Hey, who are you?" he called. _Could that woman be the boss?_

"Shut up and get over here," a cold female voice ordered.

Following the voice, TK finally found himself standing beside the woman. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Terra, Cipher Gym Leader of Viridian City. Who are you?" Terra asked.

_She doesn't show much emotion, does she?_ TK thought. "I'm Battonage, Cipher Gym Leader of Olivine City." He replied.

"It's good to see the two of you are on time," the boss finally said.

"Huh?" TK looked around. _I can't even see the guy!_

"Don't look so frightened, Battonage. I'm not here to punish you." The boss chuckled before continuing. "Blazer has reported that he has lost against the Snaggers. They will be coming your way next, Terra. Battonage, I'm assigning you as Terra's battle partner."

"Battle partner?" TK repeated.

"Ever since Dart's defeat, every Gym Leader is supposed to have a partner to help in battling the Snaggers. The partner is either a minion or another Gym Leader." Terra replied coldly. "Looks like you're my partner. Just keep your distance unless told otherwise and you'll be fine."

"Hey, I can fight perfectly fine!" TK argued.

"This is _my_ gym, though." Terra pointed out. "The terrain will be suited to that of Ground-types, those of which you don't have any of. Your specialty is Steel-types, which are weak to Ground-types. You'll be fine if you stay out of the way of my Pokemon's attacks."

"But—"

"That's enough fighting from the two of you!" the boss snapped. "You'll need to work together if you wish to succeed. But even then, it won't be enough. Work together and exploit the Snaggers' weaknesses. That is the key to our victory."

"Yes, sir," they both said.

"Good," the boss said. "You are both dismissed. Prepare to leave for Viridian City by tomorrow morning."

"Understood," TK nodded.

They both left the room and started their separate ways. Pikachu raced out and jumped onto TK's shoulder. "Pika pi?" he asked.

"Everything's going according to plan, Pikachu. I'm going to fight the Snaggers within the next day or two." TK explained, scratching Pikachu beneath his chin. "Now I can see who I'm working with now. If they're as strong as they've proven themselves to be, they might be a good challenge for a Top Ranger like me."

"Pi pikachu? Pika!"

"Don't worry, buddy. I won't go too hard on them." TK said gently. "But I won't go easy on them, either."

Then he heard voices around the corner. Coming to a stop, he listened in.

"Are you sure that my Ninetales project was the one you saw, Blazer?" Prof. Pine demanded.

"I'm sure it was him, Pine. I saw the scars and he said the Shadow Ninetales was his sister. That had to be him." Blazer replied. "So, what's so important about that Ninetales anyways?"

"That Ninetales happens to be one of Anna Hikoru's former Pokemon that she released prior to her death." Prof. Pine sighed, rubbing his temples. "In other words, that Ninetales was very important to my research. He happened to know the location of another possible Snagger previously living in Hoenn who has connections to Latias and Latios."

"You mean there were two Snaggers before, not just one?" Blazer asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. That's the reason I was experimenting on the Ninetales." Prof. Pine replied. "I was searching through his memory. All I know is that whoever this second Snagger is had red hair and is female. I'm still unable to find her, though."

"Have you told the boss about this?" Blazer demanded.

"No, not yet. Like I said, she _might_ be a Snagger but I'm not completely sure. Until then, make no mention of this to anyone, especially the boss."

"All right, I'll keep quiet. Just keep me posted, okay? Better not mention this to Dart. Don't forget, he's the one who killed Anna."

"Of course. Good night, Blazer."

"Night, Pine."

TK was frozen stiff as the pair left. _Anna wasn't the only Snagger after all. There might be a second one, possibly somewhere in Hoenn. I have to tell Chairperson Erma about this!_ He ran as fast as he could back to his room, golden cape fluttering behind him.

_Shamouti Island…_

"Elder!" the blue-robed boy said. "Zapdos is now in the Orange Islands. We can't look after it anymore. What should we do now?"

The old man was standing on the edge of the temple once again. "Zapdos no longer needs our care. We must look after the other Legendaries now."

"What of Darkrai?" the boy asked. "It has chosen the company of humans over Pokemon!"

"If Darkrai does not wish for our protection, we will not force it. We will guard the other Pokemon…while we still can." The old man looked down at the stormy sea. "The storm is becoming stronger."

"Is there not anything we can do to help the Chosen Ones, elder?" the yellow-robed boy asked.

"My students, our elemental Pokemon are already protecting them as we speak. As long as we remain one with our Pokemon, we will always be able to protect them." The elder turned to a red-robed girl. "Your choice of a Ninetales was a very wise decision. Well done, my dear."

"Thank you, sir. May the elements be with them, elder," she said.

"Indeed. May the elements be with all humans and Pokemon." The old man reentered the temple. "Come. The storm will be getting worse. It is time to say goodbye to the Beast of the Sea. Until we meet again,"

"Until we meet again!"

The group returned to the temple. Far below the sea, Lugia heard their cries and began to surface. In the distance, a fleet of Cipher helicopters came ever closer.

_Cinnabar Island…_

Most of the Snaggers had fallen asleep long ago, exhausted from the battle against Blazer. Mark was unable to sleep. Not because he wasn't tired, but because a familiar little spirit girl wouldn't let him sleep. "Anna, go away. Please," he begged.

The little ghost smiled, seating herself beside him. "How come? I just came to talk." She said. "Mist is coming."

"What?"

"Mist is coming to find you. He's bringing friends. He finally realized the truth about Cipher…and about my death." Anna explained sadly. "The Shadow Master is dead but shall rise once again when you need him most."

"Cipher killed the Shadow Master?"

"Yes," Anna nodded. "He died making sure Mist could escape. But another ally will make himself present soon. He will seem like an enemy but is truly a friend. He comes from a far off land and is a spy. You won't recognize him at first for what he is until you see his true self. He is search for your friend, who will join you in the future."

"Who's the ally? Which friend? I don't understand, Anna." Mark complained. "What does it all mean? Please, tell me."

"All in good time, Mark. Just remember that you will need Snow in the challenges ahead. You'll see what I mean soon enough." She kissed him on the forehead before fading away. "Good night, Mark. Sweet dreams."

"Wait…don't go…please…" Mark's eyelids grew heavy and he soon fell asleep. His mind was filled with questions and confusion. What does it all mean?

**Next Chapter:** Disappearance in A Sandstorm

Terra sighed. "Hippowdon, use Shadow Sandstorm!"

The sand kicked up instantly, only the attack wasn't directed at the Pokemon. It was aimed for Mark! The green-haired Snagger crossed his arms in front of his face as he felt his feet leave the ground. Another pair of arms suddenly caught him around the waist and both bodies were pulled into the air. Mark heard the others calling his name. _What's happening to me?_ he thought.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shirt collar before dropping him to the hard ground. Rubbing his head, Mark realized that this new room was dark. Looking down, he saw Will had his arms hooked around Mark's waist. "Will, where are we?" he asked.

"Huh? Ugh…" The brunette coughed, sitting up. "I've got sand in my mouth!"

Mark leaned back against what felt like iron bars. _Wait, iron bars?!_ Mark turned around. "Will? We're in a cell."

"What?" Will asked.

"We're in a cell! Terra caught us!" Mark cried. "She was trying to catch us! And she just succeeded!"

"Crud!" Will yelped.

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There, was that a quick enough update? I hope so. School has been keeping me so busy this quarter that I'm doing more homework than writing chapters for this. I forced myself to write this whole thing today just to get it done and updated quickly just for you guys.

Ketchum Kid, KCSonic113 wants to know if when TK and the Snaggers meet the first time (with TK as a Pokemon Ranger, not a Cipher Gym Leader), something separates KC, Alex, Luffy, and TK from the others and TK tells KC why he became a Ranger. Just put the reply in your review. I hope you liked the chapter. Please review!


	34. Chapter 34: Disappearance in A Sandstorm

Hey, everyone! It seems you all liked the last chapter. I'm glad. Ketchum Kid, I'll be having the Elite Four following the Lorelei-Bruno-Agatha-Lance sequence with (most likely, I haven't completely decided yet) Red as the Champion. As for Johto, Will and Karen will definitely be there with Blue as the possible Champion. I'll have to find replacements for Koga and Bruno most likely, unless someone has other ideas. And I love Siobhan! She sounds so cool (I hope she doesn't kill me for saying that).

KCSonic113, it seems your question has been answered. Ketchum Kid has agreed to the idea, honored even. zephyr51, your request for Roen to acquire a Riolu eventually has been accepted and will happen in the next chapter. This chapter contains the first half of the Terra battle, marking the end of the Kanto Gym Leader fights and the beginning of the Kanto Elite Four battles.

Now I just need Cipher Elite Four members for Bruno and Lance. Keep them coming, guys! Hooray, 407 pages for this story alone! Thanks a million, everybody! Onto the story!

Chapter 34: Disappearance in A Sandstorm

"Time to wake up, Mark!" Blacky cried, shaking the green-haired boy.

"Ugh…five more minutes!" Mark complained, rolling over.

Blacky sighed and looked at the other Snaggers for help. Finally, she set her multicolored Eevee, Eon, down on Mark's chest. "Wake him up, Eon. You know what to do." She said, smiling.

"Vee!" Eon crawled upward until she reached Mark's face. She started licking his cheek, causing the boy to squirm.

Finally, Mark sat up as Eon dropped into his lap…with Mark's head banging the top of the bottom bunk. "Yow! What the heck?!" he yelped, rubbing his head.

"Hey, you had to get up sometime, Mark." Blacky giggled.

"Couldn't you have found a different way, Hannah?" Mark demanded. "One that didn't involve me hitting my head?"

"Sorry!" she laughed, picking up Eon. "Zack says that Gyarados is ready to travel. Where are we going next?"

"Viridian City," Luffy replied. "We only have one Cipher Gym Leader left before we take on the Elite Four. Kanto is nearly free at last."

"I've never been to Viridian City before. What's it like?" Blacky asked.

"Just like any other city with a gym." Jake muttered.

"The gym was locked the first time we were there, Mark. How do we know it'll be open this time?" Alex asked.

Mark yawned and crawled out of bed, stretching. "Well, Cipher knows we're coming. Why bother delaying our fight? It'll be open this time, I guarantee it."

"Then hurry and pack up so we can leave!" Alex barked, leaving the room with Blacky. Jake quietly followed them out, going back to his own room.

"Is she eager to leave or what?" Luffy pointed out.

"What do you expect, big brother? Only one Gym Leader left." KC replied. "We're so close to beating Cipher."

"This is only Kanto, KC," Mark reminded. "We have to free Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh too. We're only a fourth of the way there. And who knows what we'll have to do in Orre?"

"Oh, yeah…" The raven-haired boy sighed.

"Roen left this for you, Mark. He said Cipher wrote in the back part of it." Luffy handed Mark the journal from Pokemon Mansion. "The first half holds notes about Mewtwo. Those are pretty useless to us right now."

"Thanks," Mark shoved the journal into his bag for later and stood up. "Well, I'm ready to go."

"So are we. Let's get out of here!" KC cheered.

The trio left their room and went downstairs to meet the other Snaggers. Leaving the Pokemon Center behind them, the group headed toward the docks. Releasing his red Gyarados, Zack climbed onto her head while the others clambered onto her back. Once they were ready to go, Gyarados pulled away from the Cinnabar docks and swam out along the sea routes toward Fuchsia City.

Upon pulling into the sandy beach near Fuchsia City, Jake had his Murkrow fly them the rest of the way to Viridian City. They touched down in front of the Pokemon Center, where Nurse Joy happily healed their Pokemon. While the others chatted in the Pokemon Center's lobby, Mark stepped outside and stared at a patch of nearby flowers. It felt like forever since he had last been here.

_Mist is coming,_ Mark thought. _I wonder where he's going. Who's with him? Does he know who the Shadow Master is? So many questions going unanswered…_

Snow's Poke Ball suddenly burst open, revealing the albino Mew. Flying around playfully, she finally settled in the grass to play with the brightly-colored flowers. Mark held back a laugh. Even after everything that has happened so far, Snow still acted like a baby Pokemon. A loud sneeze caught his attention and he looked down to see Snow's face covered in golden pollen, the Mew sneezing up a storm.

"Snow, you're silly!" he chuckled, reaching down to pick her up…

…Only to have someone else do it for him. "You have a Mew? She's so cute, Mark!" It was Blacky. She scooped the cat-like Pokemon into her arms and cuddled her, causing the albino Legendary to laugh happily. "Where did you get her, Mark? I always thought Mew could only be pink or blue, not white."

"Well, Snow is…a special gift from an old friend," he explained. "I hadn't seen her for a long time, so she got me Snow as an apology. She is cute, isn't she?"

"Not just cute. Adorable!" Blacky cried, hugging Snow. Snow snuggled against the girl's cheek, purring happily. "You're so lucky, Mark. You have such good friends and Pokemon. I'm glad that I joined you guys. Life is so much more exciting now!"

_And dangerous, Hannah. It's much more dangerous now,_ Mark added mentally. "I'm glad you did, too."

"Oh, look at Sparks! He's so cute when he's playing!" Blacky cooed, smiling.

The Pikachu was playing with Ninetales, who reluctantly allowed the electric mouse to crawl all over him and play among his many tails. Sparks was careful to avoid stepping on his recent scars from the fight against Blazer only yesterday. Ninetales occasionally yawned and rolled over, forcing the Pikachu to maneuver around his paws to continue playing. Alex's Sneasel silently watched them, refusing to join in.

"Yeah, they do look cute. You sure like Pokemon, Hannah." Mark commented.

"Of course I do! I'm a Pokemon trainer, after all. What else would I like more than my beloved Pokemon partners?" Blacky asked. "Even if mine are experiments by Cipher, I still love them."

"I'm sure you do, Hannah." Mark nodded.

"Pika pika!" Sparks called.

"Mew mew?" Snow floated out of Blacky's arms and settled on top of Mark's head, red eyes blinking curiously. The blood red ribbon tied around her neck fluttered slightly in the breeze. "Mew…?"

"What is it, Snow?" Mark asked.

Alex and KC exited the Pokemon Center and noticed Snow. "What's going on, guys?" Alex asked, picking up Sneasel.

"I don't know but I think Snow senses something," Mark replied. "I don't know what, though."

Suddenly a blast of wind collided with him, sending Mark sprawling backward into the grass. Snow tumbled into another patch of flowers just a foot or two away. Blacky was quick to pick her up while KC knelt beside Mark. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I don't know but something wasn't right about that." Mark sat up, undoing his bandanna so he could retie it around his head.

"Do you think it could be the Cipher Gym Leader?" KC asked.

"No, but I think I found out what it was. Look!" Alex pointed to an incoming helicopter. Painted on the sides of the helicopter in red was…an R.

"Team Rocket!" Blacky muttered.

"What do they want with us?" Alex asked, trying to block the rough winds with her arms.

The other Snaggers came out, having heard all of the commotion. "Big brother, what's going on?!" KC cried. "What's Team Rocket doing here?"

"Mark, did you forget who the Viridian Gym Leader is?" Luffy called.

It took the green-haired boy a few seconds before he realized the answer. "The head of Team Rocket…Giovanni!"

"Bingo! We have a winner! So, what'll your prize be?" Will joked.

"Shut up, Will!" Leena snapped. "This is serious!"

"I know it is! Can't you take a joke?!" Will whined.

"Both of you stop it!" Jake demanded. "We don't know if Giovanni is alone in that chopper. Heck, it might not even be him in there. He could've sent some of his agents to fight for him."

"Good point, Jake," Ookami muttered.

Ninetales started growled, his fur standing on end. _That's him,_ he growled. _I'd recognize that scent anywhere. That's Giovanni all right._

"How do you know?" Roen asked. "Have you met him before?"

_Yes, a long time ago. I'll never forget that scent._ Ninetales padded toward Mark and stood by his side. Sparks jumped up, landing on the boy's shoulder. Suddenly afraid for her safety, Mark returned Snow to her Poke Ball and shoved it in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Only seconds after it landed, a man in a bright orange suit stepped out. Carried in his arms was a purring Persian. Giovanni, head of Team Rocket and Viridian City's Gym Leader, had finally arrived. Following him were two Team Rocket agents, followed closely by a Porygon that floated between the pair. The one on the left was an aqua blue-haired man wearing the black Team Rocket uniform with a bright red R on the front. To the right was a violet-haired woman wearing a similar uniform, only with the top cut a bit above her stomach and with longer gloves and boots.

"Well, you must be Mark Hunter." Giovanni said. "It's a pleasure to meet the leader of Cipher's enemies. As they say, 'the enemy of my enemy if my friend.' I hope we will be able to get along while we liberate my gym from these intruders."

"Intruders? As in, more than one?" Zack asked.

"Yes," Giovanni nodded. "Two, to be precise. A young man and a woman are controlling my gym at the moment. The boy specializes in Steel-types while the girl uses my kind, Ground-types. They have fitted my gym with a few traps that prevented me from attacking them directly."

"Traps, huh? We've dealt with traps in the gyms before." Mark muttered. "Who are your two friends there?"

"Oh, them. They shall be helping you fight the intruders." Giovanni explained. "This is John and Samantha, along with their Porygon partner. They will be escorting us through the gym and take care of any lesser threats."

"So, you _are_ coming with us." Luffy confirmed.

"Of course I am. Have you forgotten that this happens to be _my_ gym?" Giovanni reminded. "That woman told me I was out of my league when it came to training Ground-type Pokemon. I'm going to prove her wrong."

"Do I sense a rivalry building?" Zack muttered.

"I think so," Roen whispered back. "Or it could be jealousy…or just rage."

"Good point," Zack nodded.

"Fine," Mark said. "Should we head to the gym first or—"

Giovanni raised a hand. "There's no need to waste valuable time fighting Cipher grunts. My workers are taking care of them as I speak."

"Okay. To the gym it is. Let's go, everyone!" Mark cried.

The Snaggers, Giovanni, his two grunts, and Porygon walked toward Viridian Gym, unaware of the dangers hidden within its stone walls…

Terra looked up from examining her nails when the doors slammed open. TK looked up from checking over his newly-acquired Shadow Skarmory. The metallic bird Pokemon's silvery feathers were dyed pitch black and its golden eyes now shone the color of blood. It sickened the Top Ranger.

_How can people do this to Pokemon? It's so wrong!_ TK thought, gritting his teeth. Then he finally saw them. The Snaggers. _So, those are the Snaggers? The boy in front must be Mark Hunter. Time to see what he's made of._

The two Cipher Gym Leaders stood up. "So, you did come. About time," Terra's eyes narrowed. "And you brought trash with you."

"How dare you say that about Giovanni?!" John shouted. "I'll make you regret saying that, you little—"

"John, stand down!" Giovanni barked. "Don't let her rile you up so easily."

"I apologize, sir." The aqua-haired man backed off, balling his fists in rage. _Just you wait, brat! Nobody badmouths the boss and lives to tell about it. No one!_

"Mark, who's he?" KC asked, indicating TK.

"I don't know. A new Cipher Gym Leader?" Mark suggested.

"Correct," TK nodded, brushing his golden cape off of his shoulder. "I am Battonage, Cipher Gym Leader of Olivine Town."

"Olivine?! What's a Johto Gym Leader doing in Kanto?" Alex demanded.

"I requested to come here so that I may test the skills of my enemies. But I only have eyes for the leader…you, Mark Hunter. You and me, one on one," TK said, stepping forward. "I only fight the best, after all."

"Don't get too cocky, Battonage." Terra reminded, her voice remaining as emotionless as the last time Mark met her. "The boss ordered us to fight together. You can fight him later if he's the last one standing."

TK sighed. "Fine," _Well, there goes my chance to test my ally's strength. I'll have to wait until next time._

"Hey, is this a fight or not?!" Will cried. "Let's do this! Gabite, go!"

The brunette tossed his Poke Ball, unleashing the Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon. Pulling back its single-clawed arms, it roared. "Gabite ga!"

"Gabite? Did Gible evolve?" Ryan muttered. Back in Lavender Town, Will's Gible had nearly injured them by freeing a few tombstones in the Pokemon Tower. They hadn't seen it since.

"You got that right!" Will nodded. "Not long after Drapion evolved, Gible evolved while I was trying to tame Drapion. I had Gible fight him and suddenly, he evolved. He still lost against Drapion but he definitely got stronger."

"Awesome!" Mark said. "Sparks, Ninetales! Get out here!"

_Ninetales?!_ TK thought. His blue eyes widened in shock as the battle-scarred Fire-type emerged. _That must be the Ninetales Prof. Pine was talking about! The one that belonged to the second Snagger that was with Anna!_

"Rhyhorn," Giovanni called. The rhino-like Pokemon appeared from its Poke Ball, pawing at the ground in anticipation.

"PROXY-336-20!" John and Samantha cried. Their Porygon drifted forward, ready to defend against any oncoming attacks. Soft whirs and clicks sounded within its pink and blue data-based body, its legs swinging every once in a while.

_PROXY-336-20? What kind of a name is that?_ Luffy thought.

_That's just…odd,_ Jake decided, sighing. _That Porygon must be Team Rocket's version of a portable computer. Still, they could've shortened its name. Poor thing…_

"What the heck?! Couldn't you have thought of a better name than…that?!" Alex shouted. "That's a stupid name!"

"Maybe you think so but that was all the shorter we could get its name!" Samantha snapped, glaring. "This particular Porygon has over 300 numbers in its name! You can figure out the rest, brat!"

"Calm down, Sam!" John said, waving his hands. "If you want, just call him Proxy. Unfortunately, he'll only respond to PROXY-366-20."

"Well, Proxy's better than that name any day." Alex muttered.

After recovering from the initial shock over the Porygon's name, the Snaggers turned back to Terra and TK. Terra sighed and retrieved a Poke Ball from her belt. "Hippowdon, time to show these brats your true power,"

"Skarmory, let's do this!" TK jumped onto the Steel/Flying-type's back just as it launched itself high into the air, stopping only four feet from the gym's ceiling. _They better be careful down there. Terra and I put up quite a few traps but if Pikachu did his job, most of them ought to be dismantled. But I know Terra's smart. She'll come up with something. I just have to stop her from actually hurting anyone._

"Ninetales, use Fire Blast! Sparks, hit Hippowdon with Iron Tail!" Mark ordered.

Ninetales looked up at Skarmory and opened his mouth, unleashing a searing-hot column of flame. Skarmory shot away and dove, attempting to peck at the canine. Ninetales snapped his jaws, flames engulfing his fangs and burning the metallic bird. Skarmory screeched before flying up, nearly colliding with the ceiling in its desperate race to escape the Fire-type. Shadow Pokemon or not, fire still beats steel.

Sparks charged up a Quick Attack, aiming for the massive Ground-type in front of him. The Pikachu's tail started to glow long before he jumped to use the move. Hippowdon opened its mouth and roared angrily, the blast of wind from its open mouth blowing Sparks off course. The Pikachu twisted around and landed on all fours, tail still aglow.

As Hippowdon charged toward the electric mouse, Rhyhorn tackled it and sent it crashing into the gym wall. Snorting and pawing at the ground once more, Rhyhorn readied its second charge.

"PROXY-366-20, use Tri-Attack!" Samantha cried.

"Knock that Skarmory out of the sky!" John added.

The Porygon looked up at Skarmory and quietly nodded, calculations running through its many simulated systems as it measured the correct angle to attack from. Finally coming up with a solution in seconds, a light erupted from the tip of its triangular head. A mix of reds, whites, and blues emerged before firing out in a massive blast of energy that could only be issued from Tri-Attack.

"Darn it! Scizor, use Shadow Cannon!" TK ordered, tossing out the purple-colored Steel/Bug-type Pokemon.

Placing its head-like pincers in front of its body, black energy shot from it and collided with the Tri-Attack. After a few seconds, the attacks ignited and exploded in a cloud of smoke. A few flaps of Skarmory's wings dispersed the smoke cloud. Scizor crossed its pincers, eyes gleaming with victory.

"Scizor, use Shadow End!" TK said.

"Gabite, counter it with Dragon Claw!" Will shouted.

Scizor felt the clawed limb crash into its side, pummeling it into the ground. Struggling to its feet, the Shadow Pokemon glared at Gabite menacingly. Gabite growled, baring his fangs as he prepared to strike.

"You're good. But why did you interfere in our battle?" TK asked.

"Why else? I'm defending my friends!" Will replied.

_Good,_ TK thought. _These Snaggers are using teamwork, even if it isn't very organized. Just my style!_ "Scizor, use Shadow Cannon!"

"Use Sandstorm, Gabite!"

The two attacks collided and exploded once more. Another Dragon Claw forced Scizor to retreat a few steps back, raising its arms to defend itself if necessary. Before Gabite could attack, Proxy finally restored its lost energy and struck with Tri-Attack, defeating Scizor. TK quickly returned it before Will could grab a Snag Ball.

"These guys are good!" KC muttered. "But we'll beat them! Right, Alex?"

"Yeah!" the blue-haired girl nodded.

"I hope so, Alex. Something tells me that we're going to be in trouble soon." Ookami said softly. "Oh, I wish Mark would hurry up."

Safe from the current dangers below, TK reached up and pulled a lever on the ceiling directly above him. A loud clang echoed through the wall but it was ignored by those below…except Terra, who briefly looked up. _I'm sorry I have to do this, but it's for my mission. Prove to me how resourceful you are in a situation like this one!_

_On an island not far from Kanto…_

Only a few more hours until they reached Kanto. Needing a rest, Freeze had Lapras pull into a nearby island to recover. With Mist still weak from his near-death experience and Brad too frightened over Mist's condition, Freeze was put in charge. Not that he minded. It gave him time to think about their future…or what was left of it.

Staring out at the ocean, Freeze sighed. He felt sad fighting alongside Lapras against Dart. It had been a great experience, greater than anything he had ever felt. He'd be sad to give Lapras back but she was rightfully Mist's Pokemon. It wouldn't be right for him to keep her.

_I still lack strength. Glace and Hitter were very impressive when I fought Dart but against Electra…it still won't be enough._ Lapras being on his team would greatly increase his team's strength, but such a beautiful and powerful Pokemon shouldn't be used by someone as weak as he was. _What can I do? I feel so torn…I must stop these thoughts at once! She's Mist's Pokemon…_ He knew he was too weak to control her, but she was…words couldn't describe it.

In the end, he came to a decision. _I'll let her decide when Mist becomes strong again. She can choose who she wants to be with. Although I know she will choose him, I must do the right thing. She is not mine…_

Mist cracked open a single stormy gray eye. He was lying on the sand not far from Mist. Brad was asleep beside him and Lapras was lightly snoring at the shoreline. Being a psychic, he had heard the older boy's thoughts. "Freeze?"

The blue-haired boy jumped, whirling around in surprise. "Mist? You're awake. Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," the white-haired teen apologized. "It seems you've taken a liking to my Lapras."

"How did you know?"

"Psychic, remember?"

"Oh…"

"She isn't really mine, you know. She used to be Anna's Pokemon before she died. I just got lucky finding her again."

"Huh?" Freeze muttered. _This Lapras was once Anna's? Incredible! No wonder she's so powerful…she was trained by two equally-powerful trainers._

"Wrong," Mist coughed.

"Huh?"

"You're wrong. Anna and I were never equal in power." Mist admitted. "Anna was always stronger than me. Her and Anne Marie, her best friend. I could never beat them, not even once."

"Who's Anne Marie?"

"A friend of Anna's," Mist replied. "Her favorite Pokemon were Vulpix. Before Anna died, Anne Marie's first Vulpix evolved into a Ninetales. Fire-types were her favorite while Water-types were mine and Anna's."

"Okay,"

"Freeze, I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"If anything should happen to me, I want you to take care of Lapras." Mist said. "She's the only thing of Anna's I have left and I can't bear to release her back into the wilderness. She wouldn't be able to survive."

"Hey, nothing's gonna happen to you!" Freeze argued. "If we get into a fight, I'll protect you and Brad! We're gonna find the Snaggers and we're gonna take down Cipher once and for all! So stop talking like you're gonna die, damn it!"

"I won't die, Freeze. I just want to ensure Lapras will be left in capable hands if anything should happen to me on our journey with the Snaggers." Mist explained. "It'll take more than a stab to the shoulder to kill me, Freeze. You should know that by now."

"…Idiot…" Freeze glared at the ocean.

Mist chuckled. "Lapras already trusts you, you know. She can tell your specialty is Ice-types and she respects you for that. It takes a lot of dedication and a thick skin to train Ice-type Pokemon."

"I know," Freeze muttered. "But somebody had to have the guts to do it. I'm not afraid of the cold. If anything, I'd rather live in Snowpoint than Sunnyshore."

"Oh, really?"

"My ultimate dream as a kid was to be an Ice-type Gym Leader and capture Articuno. I wanted to prove how strong Ice-type Pokemon could be." Freeze said, resting his head on his crossed arms as he pulled his knees to his chest. "My mother was saved in the mountains by Articuno…before she died, that is."

Mist fell silent. Freeze silently thanked him for not prying. The last thing he needed right now was to get depressed over his dead mother. After a while, Mist fell asleep. Freeze continued watching the ocean.

_Catch Articuno was my old dream,_ he thought. _Now all I want is revenge. Revenge for my dead friends, my dead partner Glaceon, for everything! I won't let Electra get away with tearing my dream, my friends' dreams, apart. Not ever!_ His amber eyes shone like fire in the sun's light.

_Viridian Gym…_

"Sparks, Thunderbolt!" Mark cried.

"Pika…CHUUUUU!!" Electricity shot through the Ground-type's body, causing little more than a few wisps of smoke to waft from Hippowdon's skin.

Terra sighed. "Hippowdon, use Shadow Sandstorm!"

The sand kicked up instantly, only the attack wasn't directed at the Pokemon. It was aimed for Mark! The green-haired Snagger crossed his arms in front of his face as he felt his feet leave the ground. Another pair of arms suddenly caught him around the waist and both bodies were pulled into the air. Mark heard the others calling his name. _What's happening to me?_ he thought.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shirt collar before dropping him to the hard ground. Rubbing his head, Mark realized that this new room was dark. Looking down, he saw Will had his arms hooked around Mark's waist. "Will, where are we?" he asked.

"Huh? Ugh…" The brunette coughed, sitting up. "I've got sand in my mouth!"

Mark leaned back against what felt like iron bars. _Wait, iron bars?!_ Mark turned around. "Will? We're in a cell."

"What?" Will asked.

"We're in a cell! Terra caught us!" Mark cried. "She was trying to catch us! And she just succeeded!"

"Crud!" Will yelped.

The duo yanked at the bars, trying to free themselves. Then they heard Terra's voice coming from below them. "If you wish to save Mark Hunter, you'll need to obey my rules. For one, I'll only face two of you. Choose wisely. Two, anyone else who interferes will cause Mark quite a lot of pain. Three, if I win, you must hand over the white Mew."

_Snow! She wants Snow!_ Mark realized. "Will, pull harder! We have to get out of here!"

"I'm pulling as hard as I can!" the brunette growled.

Suddenly, the floor fell away below them and the cage started lowering into the gym. Once it came to a halt, Will yelped in fear. They were a good 30 feet in the air! The Snaggers on the ground stared up in terror as Will and Mark dangled helplessly in the cell. Terra simply ignored them.

"Put them down! You're going too far!" Alex cried. "You could really kill them!"

"Isn't that the whole point?" Terra asked coldly. "You're our enemies. Once we defeat you, our job is to eliminate you. I could kill your friends up there and it still wouldn't matter as long as you all lived. Life is such a fragile thing."

"You stupid girl," Giovanni said. "Do you honestly believe that holding the Snaggers hostage would stop our attacks? I think not. John, Samantha, attack her."

"Are you joking?! She could kill them!" Luffy shouted.

"My only goal is to get my gym back. What happens to you children is none of my concern." Giovanni replied.

"I knew we couldn't trust you!" Blacky cried. "You were planning on getting rid of us all along, weren't you?!"

"Not exactly but this works in my favor nonetheless." Giovanni said.

"PROXY-366-20, use Tri-Attack on Hippowdon!" Samantha ordered.

"Foolish rookies," Terra muttered, shaking her head. "Hippowdon, blow that pathetic excuse for a trainer out of my gym. Shadow Sandstorm!"

"Pathetic?! You little…" Samantha gritted her teeth angrily.

The two attacks collided but Sandstorm was slowly pushing Tri-Attack back. John and Samantha stared in shock as their heavily-trained Porygon started to slowly back up. Sandstorm was moving closer and closer to the Snaggers. "W-we can't actually be losing!" John yelped. "PROXY-366-20, increase Tri-Attack's power!"

"It's already at full power, idiot!" Samantha shouted.

As the Team Rocket grunts shouted at each other, Blacky grabbed a Poke Ball and unleashed a Buizel. This Buizel stood up on her hind legs and spikes ran down her back. She smiled, showing sharp teeth. "Aqua, use Water Beam!" _With water Gun and Hyper Beam combined, it's a perfect blend of fire and water powers!_

"Bui!" she nodded, jumping and landing by Proxy's side. Opening her mouth, an orange beam erupted and merged with Tri-Attack. A thin watery blue film surrounded the orange blast, water droplets falling to the ground. The two attacks combined started to slowly push Sandstorm back. The tables were turned now!

"Hey, we don't need any help!" Samantha barked.

"Either accept it or lose the battle. Your choice!" the white-haired girl cried. "I, for one, would hate to lose to a Cipher Gym Leader."

"Uh…" The pair looked at each before nodding. "Okay…"

"Hmph…" Terra sighed. _So, she's the girl who commands Prof. Pine's experimental Pokemon. Impressive…but that won't be enough to stop me!_ "Break away and use Earthquake, Hippowdon,"

The hippo Pokemon nodded, ending the flow of sand and ducking to avoid the attacks it had been holding off only moments earlier. Standing tall once more, Hippowdon started pounding its feet into the ground. Tremors started before evolving into complete earthquakes! Nearly everyone but Terra and Giovanni were thrown off their feet.

TK smiled high above the ground. _So, the only two left standing through that attack are the Ground-type trainers. Interesting…_

"Hey, our fight isn't through yet!"

"Huh?" The Top Ranger looked around until he saw Will glaring at him through the cage's bars. "You really think you could fight me in the situation you're in? I don't think so."

"Well, I'm one that keeps fighting no matter what situation I'm in! Gabite, use Dragon Claw!" Will shouted.

"What?!" Then he realized something. _The boy may have been caught but the Gabite is still loose!_

The Gabite struck from below, sharp claws tearing through one of Shadow Skarmory's wings. The metal bird screeched in rage, raking its claws across the draconic Pokemon's tough blue skin. Readying a second Dragon Claw, the Gabite was about to launch it when TK came up with a defense plan.

"Shadow Ivysaur, use Shadow Vine to knock Gabite away!" TK ordered, unleashing the blue Grass-type.

The purple flower on its back opened to reveal two dark blue vines that shot out and tossed Gabite aside. Twisting around so it could land on its feet, Gabite instead lunged its glowing claw forward to protect itself…as it collided with the cage containing Mark and Will. The claw tore the cage in half diagonally, Gabite taking Will with it as it fell toward the ground far below.

"Mark!" Will cried.

"Will!" Mark tried to grab Will's hand but missed by an inch. He watched in fear as his rival and friend plunged toward the ground 30 feet below. Pressing his back to the remaining bars behind him, he buried his head in his arms. "No…" He never noticed that Snow's Poke Ball fell from the cage, too.

Ookami was the first to hear Will's scream. "Guys, the cage broke!" she cried, pointing to the remaining half of the cage dangling above them.

Gabite crashed into a pile of sand, Will landing on top of it. "Ow…my head…" he groaned.

"Will!" Roen called, dashing toward the brunette. Hauling him up and off of Gabite, he asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I think Gabite tore the cage apart with his Dragon Claw," Will explained, holding his pounding head. "Man, do I got a headache…"

"Gabite ga!" Gabite agreed, sitting up and shaking the sand from its blue and red body.

"Thanks for the save, Gabite. You get some rest." Will returned his Gabite. _At least you get to rest. I've got to keep fighting. Lucky guy…_

Suddenly, a pure white Poke Ball landed on Will's head. Yelping in pain, Will danced around holding his head while Roen picked up the ball. "Hey, isn't this Mark's?" he asked.

"Yeah, it holds that Mew of his." Will agreed. "My poor head!"

"What?!" TK muttered. _So Mark does have the white Mew! And it's right there! What do I do now? I can't let Terra catch it!_

"Hippowdon, use Shadow Sandstorm," Terra ordered.

Will and Roen were both blasted away by the attack, leaving the Poke Ball to fall to the ground. It popped open, revealing Snow. "Mew mew?" she asked, looking around. "Mew!"

"So, that's the Mew Prof. Pine wants to capture. Lucky me," Terra chuckled softly. "Hippowdon, use Take Down and follow up with Bite. We have this Legendary in the bag,"

_No!_ TK mentally screamed, grabbing Lucario's Poke Ball. _I can't let Cipher catch that Mew!_

Hippowdon raised a foot, preparing to flatten Snow beneath it. The white Mew, unaware of the danger, flew closer to play. Just seconds before Snow would've been struck, the scarred Ninetales suddenly realized something. Charging forward, he caught Snow by the scruff with his teeth and dodged the Take Down. _Stay away from her!_ he roared.

"What the?" Terra slowly frowned. "Hippowdon, use Bite."

_I won't let you hurt her! I lost her once, I won't lose her again to you murderers!_ Ninetales raced away, running up a wall before catapulting himself above Hippowdon. _I'll never let you people kill her again!!_ Fire exploded from his jaws, turning all the sand around the Ground-type to glass.

"Holy Arceus! When did Ninetales get so powerful?" Zack asked.

"What did he mean by what he said?" Jake demanded. "Does he know that Mew from somewhere? Or is something else going on that we don't know about?"

"Huh?" Alex said.

"Ninetales said 'he wouldn't allow them to kill Snow again.'" Jake explained. "What did he mean? Did he know that Mew previously? Or is something else going on here? I'm going to find out once this battle is over with."

Ookami nodded before looking at Ninetales. _Why do I have a strange feeling from the two of them? Like I've met them before. How odd…_

Ninetales landed on the ground before jumping again, landing on the remaining half of the cage. Dropping Snow on Mark's head, the Fire-type spoke. _Mark, you must get out of here now! Snow is in grave danger from these people!_

"What do you mean?" the green-haired boy asked, hugging Snow. "What's going on, Ninetales?"

_I'll explain it all to you at a later date,_ Ninetales promised. _For now, you must escape this cage and end this fight once and for all! Snow's very life could depend on it!_

"Okay, if you say so! Salamence, time to come out!" Mark hopped onto the Dragon-type's back, Ninetales seated behind him. Suddenly, Sparks landed on Mark's shoulder. "Hey, where did you come from?"

"Pi pika pika! Pikachu chu!" Sparks said.

The Snagger looked at Ninetales for a translation. _He said that one moment he was on the ground, the next he was on your shoulder. I'm suspecting that Snow teleported him here._

"Oh! Thanks, Snow!" Mark said.

"Mew mew!" Snow nodded.

Ninetales' fur suddenly bristled and he bared his fangs. _We're not out of the woods yet, Mark._

"Huh?" Then Mark noticed TK in front of him. "Hey, move it! I'm here to beat Terra, not you!"

"Well, it seems I'm your next challenge whether you like it or not." TK replied. "My name is Battonage. Shall our little battle begin?"

"My name's Mark. And I accept your challenge!"

TK smiled. _Now I can finally test how strong you are, Mark, leader of the Snaggers. This battle is going to be fun._

_On the island that houses Cipher, Molt's room…_

Molt was seated on his bed, depressed. He felt ashamed of himself. If only he had been stronger, Blazer would've beaten the Snaggers. _I let him down just like I let everyone else down,_ he thought, tears appearing at the corners of his amber eyes. _Even after all this, I'm still so…_ He burst into tears.

Flare popped out of her Poke Ball and tried her best to comfort her crying master. It was no use, though. The redhead did not stop crying. Instead, he hugged the Flareon and held her close to his body. _I'm so weak…brother…where are you, brother?! I miss you…_

He began to wish he had never snapped at Freeze. He may have been mean to the redhead but ever since Freeze ran away, Molt felt so empty. Even with Master Blazer, Molt still felt so alone. _But Freeze will never forgive me…he hates me…_ Molt cried louder, even with Flare and Mimi there. Deep down, he was still all alone.

Outside his room, leaning on the wall in the hallway was Prof. Pine. The violet-haired man sighed and closed his eyes. _Molt, you've been through a lot since you and Freeze came here all those months ago. But don't fret. All of this pain and misery will lead up to something good for you. I promise…_

He opened his eyes and stared down at the partly-burnt photo he had discovered only two months after the Trickster Twins had joined Cipher. The picture was of a group of young children posing in front of a large tree house, probably in Viridian Forest. They were the Elementals, a group of thieving children who could control and interact with Pokemon of their specialized type. They had become pretty famous.

Nearly half a year ago, the group was destroyed by Electric-user Electra, now known as Mimzy. She spared two of the group because they were too weak and weren't worth killing. Those survivors were Ice-user Freeze and Fire-user Molt. They came to Cipher in search of power and revenge upon Electra's name. Instead, they came face-to-face with Electra…and boy, was she mad to see them.

After a near-death experience, Freeze was now branded a traitor. Molt was training under Blazer but, after losing to the Snaggers, now felt alone in the world. _You're not the only one, Molt. Many of us in Cipher are alone in this dark, cruel, painful world. We've just learned to accept our fates. I wonder…will you accept your fate? Or will you defy it and pave the way for your own future? Whichever you choose, I pray you and your brother reunite one day._

Placing the burnt photo on the floor, he knocked on the door and walked away. Molt opened it and looked around. Spotting the photo, he picked it up. "Prof. Pine, did you leave this for me?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Sorry for bugging you." The redhead closed the door as he returned to his room. Sitting on the bed, he smiled. Turning it over, he saw writing. _Never forget_.

Pine smiled as he re-entered his lab. "Sir, are you okay? You're smiling," one of his assistants asked. "You never smile unless something good just happened."

"Did you get a promotion?" another asked.

"No, nothing like that. I just did something to ease another's pain, that's all." Pine stated, sitting down in his chair in front of the supercomputer. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, he smirked. "Shadow Mew, I know you're staring at me."

The black Mew crossed his arms and huffed. _I was not! I was trying to read your mind!_

"And what, dare I ask, did you find?" Pine asked.

…_Nothing. I can't read your mind. It's driving me crazy!_ He glared angrily at the human. _Why can't I read your mind?!_

"Because I have nothing to think about, Shadow Mew."

_Huh?_

"Joining Cipher has changed the way my mind works," Pine explained, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes halfway. "My routine is the same thing everyday. Research, meetings, experimentation, meals, sleep. Very little ever changes here. It's so bad that I can do all of my work and simply not pay attention. Everything I do is done on autopilot, Shadow Mew."

_You mean you just do things and don't think about it?_ Shadow Mew asked.

"I guess you could say that. I do very little thinking these days. Everything's monotonous."

…_You're hiding something. I know you are. Even if it takes me forever, I'll find out what it is!_ Shadow Mew declared.

"Have fun with that, Shadow Mew. I, for one, have better things to do than sit around trying to read others' minds." Pine got up and left the labs, walking toward the boss' chambers. _At least I did one good thing today,_ he thought, smiling faintly.

_On the Viridian gym floor, the battle between Terra and the Snaggers…_

"Aqua, use Aqua Jet!" Blacky cried.

"Sneasel, toss in an Ice Beam!" Alex ordered.

The two attacks crashed into Hippowdon, driving it backward a few inches. Retaliating with another Sandstorm, the hippo Pokemon bellowed its loudest in anger. Sneasel and Aqua yelped, covering their ears in pain. Charging forward, Hippowdon prepared to attack the pair when Giovanni's Rhyhorn crashed into it.

"You haven't forgotten about me, have you? I still have a score to settle with you regarding that comment of yours, girl." Giovanni said. "I'll show you why I was chosen as Viridian's Gym Leader, not you."

"Prove it then. Rhyperior, he's all yours." Terra tossed out a second Poke Ball, unleashing her Shadow Rhyperior. "Have fun playing with him, trash."

The Ground-type was pure black with crimson armor and glowing red eyes. The drill horn on its nose was a gleaming silver and extremely sharp. The once dull fingers were now sharp and the club engulfing the end of its tail was covered in spikes. Raising its palms, Rhyperior showed off the holes that were capable of shooting rocks at high speed, including the rare Geodudes.

"Rhyhorn, get ready to defend!" Giovanni ordered. He knew how dangerous the fully-evolved Rhyperior could be. He wasn't taking any chances by attacking right away. _Let's see what this guy can do first. Then I'll come up with the perfect plan to defeat it. The bigger they are, the harder they fall._

"Rhyperior, use Shadow Rock Blast." Then the brunette Cipher Gym Leader turned back to the Snaggers. "Now back to our fight. Hippowdon, back up and catch a breather. Torterra, you're up now."

The giant turtle-like Pokemon emerged, fresh and ready to fight. It looked like a normal Torterra except for the leaves on the tree located on its back. They had turned a deep brown, as if autumn had decided to come early. Its eyes narrowed as it lumbered forward.

"Great! Now we have to repeat all that hard work!" Will complained. "A Snagger's job is never done!"

"Hey, doing this keeps us busy. Think about it, Will." Zack said. "We could be doing homework instead."

"Hey!" Will barked. "I never said I hated doing a Snagger's job! I'd rather do this than homework! Got it?!"

"Right!" the blonde boy laughed.

"Let us handle this, guys." Luffy suggested. "Infernape!"

"Charizard, you help out too!" KC cried.

"I'm not staying out! Infernape!" Will ordered.

"Since there are two, why not make it three?" Jake muttered. "Infernape, you too!"

_Three Infernape? What a surprise,_ Terra thought. "Pretty harsh of you to throw out only Fire-type Pokemon. Then again, who said I wouldn't accept the challenge?"

"You're going down!" Will shouted.

"We'll see," Terra smirked. "Torterra, use Wood Hammer."

_This one isn't a Shadow Pokemon,_ Luffy thought. _This means it'll be easier to defeat. But I bet it still won't go down without a fight!_

Luffy, Will, and Jake nodded to each other. "Infernape, use Flare Blitz!" all three cried.

The three fire monkeys struck as one, unleashing blasts of flame and injuring Torterra together. Once their attacks were through, Torterra struggled to its feet. "Tor!" it coughed. "Torterra tor! Tor!"

"KC, you finish it." Will said.

"Gladly!" the younger raven-haired boy nodded. "Charizard, carry Torterra high into the air and use Seismic Toss!"

"Char!" the draconic Fire-type nodded, flapping his wings.

Grabbing Torterra, Charizard flapped his wings and carried it higher and higher into the air. Visibly struggling to hang on, Charizard flapped his wings harder. Nearly five feet from the ceiling, Charizard couldn't take it anymore. Wrapping his arms more securely around the Grass/Ground-type, he dove toward the ground. Only seconds before impact, Charizard let go of Torterra and pulled away.

Terra stared emotionlessly as her only non-Shadow Pokemon crashed to the ground, unconscious. Lifting her hand, she returned Torterra and gestured for Hippowdon to step forward. "You simply got lucky. Hippowdon will end this," she said.

Will, Jake, Luffy, and KC backed down. Alex and Blacky stepped forward with Sneasel and Aqua, ready to finish their fight. Hippowdon was already worn out from earlier. Even a breather wasn't enough to restore its lost energy. It would just delay the inevitable—Terra's defeat.

Ookami looked up at the fight raging above them. _Please be okay, Mark. Just hang on a little longer. We're almost done here. Just hold on, Mark. Please…_

"Time to end this! Sneasel, use Ice Beam and follow up with Avalanche!" Alex commanded.

"Aqua, use Water Beam!" Blacky cried.

"Hippowdon, use Shadow Sandstorm!" Terra shouted.

The four attacks shot toward each other, each seeking to win the battle. The moment they collided, an explosion ensued and shrouded the gym floor in black smoke. Giovanni and Rhyperior stopped fighting, waiting to see the fight's outcome. The fate of their battle now depended on the battle between Terra and the Snaggers. But who had won?

Suddenly, the smoke began to clear and reveal the winner. It was…

_Near Viridian Gym's ceiling, the battle between Mark and TK…_

Salamence and Shadow Skarmory were panting in exhaustion. So far, Mark and TK were equally matched…but not for much longer. "Snow, Ninetales, get ready!" Mark ordered. _If I can hit him directly with a Flame Aura Sphere, I'll win this battle for sure! Then I can help my friends beat Terra and we can get out of here._

_Lucario, I know you know what they're about to do. Help me out here,_ TK begged.

Lucario's Poke Ball shook once, signaling the canine's response.

TK's blue eyes narrowed as Snow flew forward, an Aura Sphere already forming between her pink paws. _If I get hit by this, I'll lose. I can't let that happen. If I'm gonna lose, I'll make it a loss Mark will never forget!_

Aura Sphere ready, Ninetales pounced forward and unleashed a blast of fire that engulfed the spiraling blue ball of energy. Suddenly, Salamence used Hyper Beam upon the Aura Sphere. It turned into a flaming ball of spiraling orange energy. Snow shot forward to deliver the finishing blow.

_Now!_ TK mentally cried, pulling back the sleeve of his sweatshirt and launching Lucario's Poke Ball from his Vattonage styler. It happened so fast that Mark never noticed the styler, only the blue canine that appeared. An Aura Sphere appeared in his paws.

"You're through! Hyper Flame Aura Sphere!" Mark cried.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere to block it!" TK ordered.

The two Aura Spheres collided, exploding upon impact. As smoke veiled their surroundings, TK felt Lucario land beside him on Shadow Skarmory. "Did we win?" he asked.

_I don't know, sir,_ Lucario replied. _Watch out!_

Something tossed TK from Skarmory's back, sending him plummeting to the ground far below. As he crashed into the sand, he saw Mark land a short ways from him. _He must have tackled me,_ TK thought, rubbing his chest painfully. _Nothing's broken. That was reckless._

Lucario landed beside TK and looked at his trainer worriedly. Snow, Sparks, and Salamence appeared, landing beside Mark. It only took seconds for the Top Ranger to realize something was wrong. "Where's Skarmory?"

A loud screech answered his question as the Steel/Flying-type crashed near Mark. Ninetales was on the bird's back, teeth imbedded into one wing. Burns covered the bird's metallic body and it was squawking in pain. Mark tossed a Snag Ball, capturing the wounded Pokemon. Ninetales padded to Mark's side, eyes glaring at TK.

"Are you still going to fight, Battonage?" Mark asked. "Or is this fight over?"

"I still have Lucario, don't I? You win once you beat him." TK replied. _Now I can see how strong you truly are, Mark. This Lucario is from Almia Castle and was the guardian of the Blue Gem. He was one of the strongest Pokemon I've ever had to face on my journey as a Pokemon Ranger. Let's see if you have the skills to beat him, too._

"Okay then. Sparks, use Thunderbolt!"

"Idiot… Lucario, block it and use Aura Storm!" TK ordered.

"Aura…Storm?" Mark repeated.

"You're a really lucky guy, Mark. I rarely use this attack but you've earned the right to see it. Upon seeing this attack, you'll realize how out of your league you truly are against Cipher. Prepare to lose!" _Show me your true strength, Mark!_ TK thought, smiling.

A blue aura-infused Hyper Beam erupted from Lucario's paws, shooting toward Mark. Sparks growled, electricity shooting from his cheeks. He wasn't afraid one bit. The green-haired Snagger watched in shock as the attack neared them…and then he smiled. _Bingo! This battle's mine!_

**Next Chapter:** No Regrets

Blood ran down from the deep cut on TK's right cheek. His blue eyes stared in shock as Ninetales sailed past him, only leaving that single cut. He got a good look at all the scars tearing across his golden fur. Scars gained from the various torture methods Cipher had used upon him.

But that wasn't what held him in awe. It was the Fire-type's eyes. They held a familiar spark to them, almost similar to that of a determined human. Wait a sec…his eyes did look human!

Ninetales landed and turned, leaping back to his unconscious trainer. Salamence and Sparks, the Pikachu, lay unconscious beside the Snagger leader. Only Ninetales and Snow were still awake, silently guarding their owner. Both Pokemon had the same human-like look in their eyes.

_Leave here, human._ Ninetales growled. _You have lost this fight. Go and do not return here ever again. If you do return, I'll make you wish you hadn't._

TK smiled faintly. "I understand…Anne Marie, the second Snagger's, Ninetales."

_What?_ Ninetales asked.

"I know who you are and who you belonged to." TK replied. "Now, would you mind telling me why you and that Mew both have that look? You both don't seem like normal Pokemon to me."

Ninetales grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth. _As you wish, Top Pokemon Ranger Tristian Kapture._

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Holy cow, the preview for the next chapter leaves a lot of mysteries to be figured out! Why do Ninetales and snow seem like odd Pokemon? How did TK find out who Ninetales was? How did Ninetales find out who TK was? And what did Ninetales really mean by 'not letting Cipher kill Snow again'? So many questions needing answers…

And I saw Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior last week! It was totally awesome! I've fallen completely in love with Giratina and the Reverse World now. And I can't wait until March 22nd when Pokemon Platinum comes out! It's gonna be so much fun!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Man, this was a fast update! Nearly 20 days since my last update. Wow! Anyways, I hope you liked it. Please review!


	35. Chapter 35: No Regrets

Hello, everyone! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I'm pretty sure that at this rate, the Kanto arc might be all done before the year is over. That would be awesome! Most of the Cipher Elite 4 will pop up in this chapter, along with Axl the Champion. This will answer, I hope, a lot of the previously unanswered questions left in past chapters.

Ketchum Kid, Skarmory was indeed not part of the Shadow Pokemon you listed. I just thought of giving him a Steel-type Shadow Pokemon that the Snaggers could capture, but wouldn't affect TK's current roster or mission just yet. As for writing about TK's adventures as a Cipher spy, you have my permission to use the Cipher agents and such in it. Thanks for asking first, though. Wouldn't want to get in trouble! If you need help, I'll be happy to help out if you need ideas and such.

KCSonic113, I've decided to address the issue with Brad's unknown father in this chapter. More will be added to it but this will explain why no one has seen him all this time. I hope you like it. You'll also find out the true mystery of Snow the Mew. And, yes, I'm giving Mark a haircut. I am evil! Whahaha!

This chapter marks the end of the Cipher Gym Leader battles and the beginning of the Cipher Elite 4 battles. I've added a twist to it so all of my plans for these fights can be fulfilled. I hope you like it, guys. Onto the story!

Chapter 35: No Regrets

The smoke cleared, revealing Terra and her Hippowdon still standing! Aqua and Sneasel looked ready to pass out at any moment. The brunette Cipher Gym Leader smiled. "I…win…"

Suddenly, Hippowdon collapsed. A second thud caught her attention. Turning, Terra stared as her Rhyperior lay beaten on the ground. It was Giovanni's turn to smile. "Are you so sure about that, girl? I believe the victory goes to us."

Terra growled and returned her two Pokemon. Backing up, she picked up a crimson leaf-shaped Gym Badge and tossed it. "Fine, you win. Congratulations on defeating all of the Cipher Gym Leaders of Kanto. Tell your leader he can check out that Data ROM Mimzy gave him. It ought to work now."

Alex caught the badge and nodded. "Thanks. Now get out of here!"

"Hmph. Gladly," Terra teleported out of the gym, leaving only sand and thick sheets of glass behind.

"That's one down," Ryan muttered. "Where's the other?"

"Mark's fighting him," Luffy replied. "I know he'll win. And once we're through here, we'll go to the Indigo League and end this!"

"YEAH!!" everyone cheered.

_The battle between Mark and TK…_

"This fight ends here!" TK cried.

The Aura Storm was only seconds away from colliding with Mark when the green-haired Snagger finally put his plan into action. "Sparks, use Volt Tackle!"

"You think a simple attack like that will save you?" TK demanded. "Not a chance!"

"Who said Volt Tackle would stop your attack?" Mark asked.

"What?" TK said.

"Volt Tackle isn't to defend me. It's to beat your Lucario!" Mark shouted.

"What?!" TK yelped.

Sparks charged, electricity exploding from his cheeks and surrounding his body. Diving underneath the oncoming attack, the Pikachu jumped and crashed into Lucario's chest. At the same time, Mark grinned as Aura Storm hit him head-on and tossed him a good few yards away. After Mark landed in a pile of sand, Salamence was hit with the aftershock and fell alongside his trainer. Both were unconscious.

TK stared in shock as Lucario crashed into the wall behind him. Already weakened from using so much aura in his attacks, the canine was struggling to stay upright. Sparks stumbled before collapsing, too exhausted to fight anymore. That was three down, two to go.

As Lucario stepped forward, a flash of gold sent him sailing into the air as Ninetales tackled him. Jumping, flames erupted from his open mouth and sent Lucario crashing to the ground. Landing on top of him, Ninetales waited before leaping away. Lucario was down.

"Darn it!" TK growled. _That Ninetales is stronger than I thought. But he's no match for Shaymin!_ Readying his styler, he prepared to release her when his cheek started stinging. It took seconds for the Top Ranger to realize what was going on. Ninetales had attacked him.

Blood ran down from the deep cut on TK's right cheek. His blue eyes stared in shock as Ninetales sailed past him, only leaving that single cut. He got a good look at all the scars tearing across his golden fur. Scars gained from the various torture methods Cipher had used upon him.

But that wasn't what held him in awe. It was the Fire-type's eyes. They held a familiar spark to them, almost similar to that of a determined human. Wait a sec…his eyes did look human!

Ninetales landed and turned, leaping back to his unconscious trainer. Salamence and Sparks, the Pikachu, lay unconscious beside the Snagger leader. Only Ninetales and Snow were still awake, silently guarding their owner. Both Pokemon had the same human-like look in their eyes.

_Leave here, human._ Ninetales growled. _You have lost this fight. Go and do not return here ever again. If you do return, I'll make you wish you hadn't._

TK smiled faintly. "I understand…Anne Marie, the second Snagger's, Ninetales."

_What?_ Ninetales asked.

"I know who you are and who you belonged to." TK replied. "Now, would you mind telling me why you and that Mew both have that look? You both don't seem like normal Pokemon to me."

Ninetales grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth. _As you wish, Top Pokemon Ranger Tristian Kapture._

"How did you know?" he asked.

_Snow told me,_ the Fire-type replied. _She is a Psychic-type, after all. As for your question…well, let's say Snow isn't actually a real Pokemon. As for me, I'd rather keep that my own little secret. I'll give you a clue, though._

"Yeah?"

Ninetales shuddered before continuing. _I'm not who I used to be a few years ago. I was a horrible person, even going so far as to abandon my son. I hope to find him again and repent for my sins. My son is with Cipher. His name is Bradley._

"You were once human?" TK asked.

_I still am deep down. A strange woman working in Cipher put a spell on me and left me for dead on Cinnabar Island,_ Ninetales explained. _I met another Ninetales, whom I treated as a sister and fought to protect. I had very little memory of my human life up until Cipher captured us both. The moment I saw that woman, it all came back to me. She recognized me and gave me my scars, leaving me for dead once again. My Pokemon side causes me to despise some humans…_

"Bradley, huh? I'll see if I can talk to him once I get back." TK muttered.

_Go to Lavender Town and go to the top floor of the Pokemon Tower. Behind one of the tombstones, you'll find a small black book. Read it and you will know about Snow's condition,_ Ninetales said.

"Right. I'll remember," TK promised. "Thanks…for everything." Returning Lucario, TK teleported away. He had some research to do, but he left something behind. "Give this to that boy, Roen."

Ninetales smiled as he saw the other Snaggers running toward them. Gathering the object with his tails, the Fire-type kept it hidden for the moment. "Mark! Hey, Mark! Are you okay?" Luffy cried, shaking his unconscious friend.

_He should be all right, Luffy. We should take Mark to the Pokemon Center and get some rest,_ Ninetales suggested.

"Good idea," Ookami agreed. "We should leave Giovanni and his grunts to clean up the gym."

"Okay, upsy-daisy!" Luffy grunted, picking up the younger boy. Will suddenly started to laugh. "What are you laughing about, Will?"

"I think Mark got a haircut!" Will burst out laughing, doubling over to hold his aching stomach.

"Huh?" Luffy blinked in confusion.

"Aah! He's not kidding!" Alex yelped. "Mark's gonna be so mad!"

Mark's green waist-length ponytail was gone. It had been cut off when he had been hit by the Aura Storm attack and burnt into nothingness. Only a few curled green locks remained where it once was. Now the green-haired boy had short hair with only his long bangs poking through his red bandanna.

"Well, at least he looks more like a normal boy now." Zack commented.

"I wonder if he'll ever notice it's gone?" Roen wondered.

"Maybe," Blacky replied. "Should we tell him or let him figure it out on his own?"

"Let him figure it out," Will panted, trying to stop laughing.

"Whatever," Luffy grumbled. "Let's just go! We're all tired."

John and Samantha said their goodbyes, wishing them luck against the Cipher Elite 4. The group headed for the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon and get some rest. The sun was beginning to set but there was still plenty of daylight left. Shadow Gengar quietly slipped away from the Pokemon Center's window to report back to the boss. The Snaggers were going to the Indigo Plateau next!

_On the island that houses Cipher, boss' chambers…_

"You lost?!!"

"We're deeply sorry, sir." Terra said. "We have nothing to say in our defense."

"I'm disappointed in you…" the boss growled. "_Both_ of you. Battonage, your failure is most surprising to me. Are you weaker than I originally thought, or are the Snaggers stronger than you expected? Choose your answer wisely."

TK gulped before replying. "I wasn't going full power, sir. I wanted to see how far the Snaggers were willing to go just to win. Their leader, Mark, defeated me at full strength. I was barely going at half strength. Besides, this was Terra's gym battle, not mine. Why go full strength in another's gym?"

"Ah, clever answer. I should hope that is the case, Battonage." The boss said. "I have high hopes for you. You have proven yourself time and time again to me. Keep that up and you may find yourself at a much higher position than just a Gym Leader."

"Thank you, sir. I'll continue doing my best for the good of Cipher." TK promised. _Good of Cipher? Yeah, right! Just wait until my mission is done, then you'll see how loyal I am…to my mission!_

"Good," the boss muttered. "You two are dismissed."

Both Gym Leaders fled from the dark room. Only seconds later, a voice spoke from the darkness. "So, it's our turn to fight the Snaggers?"

"So, the five of you have come as per my orders." The boss said, relieved. "I see you're all prepared to fight them. I'm glad. You five are my last hope in keeping control over the Kanto region. Do not fail me. The consequences are great if you do."

"Of course we're gonna beat those nosy brats!" a girl's voice said. "We'll make those kids regret ever standing up against us! Cipher can't be stopped and we'll prove it!"

A 17 year old girl with middle back-length brown hair and blue eyes stepped out from the shadows. She was wearing a collared white shirt under a plaid vest with a jagged C on it, beige pants, and sandals. Her skin was pale and she carried a spell book in her hands, the title saying The Almia Book of Spirits.

"You're sure confident, Siobhan." The boss commented. "But with your linage, I'm not surprised…granddaughter of Agatha of the Kanto Elite 4."

"Why bother letting them even enter the Indigo Plateau?" she asked. "Just let me get one good strike in and they'll run home crying to their parents."

"That's kind of hard if the leader has no parents to run home to, Siobhan." Another voice said.

"Oh, shut up! You know what I mean, Zero!" Siobhan snapped.

An 18 year old boy with immensely spiky light blue hair stepped out, his blue eyes glaring at the younger girl. He was wearing a dark gray fur coat over a long-sleeved white shirt, dark brown cargo pants, and sunglasses. His skin was pale, like Siobhan's.

"Besides, I'll be the first to fight them anyhow. I'll ensure you never get to fight them." Zero bragged.

"You little…Die!" Siobhan screamed, raising the spell book above her head to hit him.

"Stop it right now, you two!" A pair of hands shoved the pair apart. "Geez, I feel like I'm watching over a bunch of children!"

"Shut up, Axl! Don't you get all snobby just because you're the Champion!" Siobhan shouted. "And you're younger than us, idiot! You're the child, not us!"

"Maybe in age but in attitude, you two take the cake." Axl replied.

Axl had chin-length straight blue hair that covered his right eye. His left eye was ice blue but red seemed to glint from behind the hair covering his right eye. He was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, jeans with holes in the knees, blue fingerless gloves, and blue and white tennis shoes. A blue teardrop-shaped earring dangled from his left ear. He was 15 years old.

As Zero and Siobhan prepared to start arguing with Axl, the boss spoke up. "Enough of your meaningless fighting! I expect to see more from my elite agents than childish bickering."

"Sorry, sir," the trio apologized.

"Now, where are the other two?" the boss asked.

"Who knows? Maybe they didn't want to come." Axl suggested. "Proves how loyal those guys are. Should we go on ahead without them, sir?"

"If you wish," the boss said. "If you encounter the other two, tell them they may leave for the Indigo Plateau. And remember the safety measures we put up. Only five Snaggers will enter to fight you. It's up to you if those same five emerge again."

"Yes, sir," the trio nodded. They left the room, leaving the boss alone.

"Well now, so it's come to this. I never thought those brats would get this far." The boss muttered. "No matter. Even if they free Kanto, they'll be forced to separate soon enough. And when they do, I'll take them out one by one until no one dares to defy Cipher!" He laughed, the sound echoing throughout his dark chamber.

_Viridian City Pokemon Center…_

_Where…am I?_ Mark groaned, slowly opening his eyes. _It's dark. Must be nighttime. Where is everyone? Better yet, where am I?_

_You're in the Pokemon center, Mark._

"Huh?" Mark coughed, his throat feeling like sandpaper.

_You're in the Pokemon Center. The others are downstairs, getting dinner for you. Need some water?_

"Nine…tales?"

_Yes, it's me. Need some water, Mark?_ Ninetales asked.

"Yeah,"

As the Fire-type retreated downstairs to fetch a glass of water, Mark took this time to wake up and look at his surroundings. He was in a room with two bunk beds, him being placed on a bottom bunk. It looked like a normal room you rent at the Pokemon Center to stay the night. Out the window, the sky was glittering with stars.

Sparks was curled up beside him while Snow perched on his chest, snoozing away. Mark smiled. _We must've beaten Battonage…or else I got beaten up. Hey, wait a sec…_ Moving one hand, he rubbed it against the back of his head and froze. _Oh no, he didn't! That punk cut off my ponytail!_

Suddenly, the door flung open and Ninetales entered, the rest of the Snaggers following him. Sitting up, Mark accepted the water and drank it greedily, desperate to get that sandy taste out of his mouth. Alex smiled and sat down beside him.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"I think so," Mark replied, still drinking. "What happened? Did we win?"

"We won alright!" Roen said. "You won your fight and we won ours. Viridian City is free. And guess what! That Battonage guy gave me a Pokemon Egg before he left!"

"What? Really?!" Mark exclaimed, nearly choking on his water.

"He's not kidding," Leena confirmed. "Actually, it was Ninetales that gave it to Roen but Ninetales said it was from Battonage."

"Lucky! First KC had one and now you do!" Mark chuckled.

"Dude, did you see your _hair_?" Will asked, clapping a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

"I felt it," Mark admitted. "I can't believe that happened! How does it look?"

"A little curly where it was but, other than that, it looks fine," Jake said. "Terra, the female gym leader, said the Data ROM would work now."

"The Data what?" Blacky blinked in confusion. "Mark, what's that?"

"The Data ROM that Mimzy gave me," Mark explained, climbing out of bed and fetching the disk from his bag. "We couldn't get past the codes before, but maybe it'll let us in now." Popping it into the computer, multiple windows popped up. "Yes! It worked!"

"What does it say?" KC asked.

"Give me a sec," Mark grumbled. "I need to find something first." After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. "Here it is, guys. Remember that teleporting device Florence gave us? I think this might tell us where it can take us."

"…It can go to any place the user chooses." Ookami read. "Maybe we can use this to get to the Indigo Plateau."

"I think that's what we're supposed to use it for," Luffy agreed. "Look here. Somebody left us a little note."

"Huh?" Zack questioned. "What's it say?"

"'Dear Snaggers, you must have defeated Terra if you are reading this. As you already know, the teleportation device can take you wherever you choose to go. Use it to go to the Indigo Plateau. There, you will need to navigate through a few puzzles and traps. But beware of what the warning tells you at the doors. –Florence'"

"Why would she go so far as to tell us all of that?" Blacky asked. "What if it's a trap?"

"If it were a trap, they wouldn't have waited so long before telling us about it. I say we go!" Will declared.

"What do you think, Mark?" Alex asked.

"…Let's go. We'll leave tomorrow for the Indigo Plateau and fight the Elite 4. I'm sure Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance are waiting for us there, along with Red." Mark muttered. "Let's get as much rest as we can tonight."

"Sure! But only after you eat, Mark," Luffy stated, placing a plate of food in front of the green-haired boy. "It's thanks to you we even got this far, Mark. We can't go all the way without you. We're friends, after all…right?"

Mark smiled and nodded. "Right," He started eating as the rest of the Snaggers headed off to their rooms.

Luffy and Will climbed into their bunks but KC stayed behind, noticing something on the computer screen. "Mark, isn't that Anna?" he asked, pointing to a half-covered picture.

Clicking on the covered window, Anna's face was indeed shown. Below it was information on Anna's life as a Snagger before her death. Then Mark saw another photo…one of Anna, Mist, and a very familiar friend. "Anne Marie?"

"Who's that?" Luffy asked. "Someone you know, Mark?"

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "She's an old friend of mine who lives in Hoenn. She used to travel with me but we separated once I reached Johto. She's friends with Latios and Latias on Alto Mare Island."

In the photo, the girl identified as Anne Marie had red hair framing her face on both sides (just like May's hairstyle, just take away the bandanna) and green eyes. She had one arm around Mist and the other around Anna. Poking its head in front of her was a young Vulpix.

"With Latios and Latias? Holy Arceus, is she ever lucky." Will cried. "I want to be friends with a Legendary Pokemon, too!"

"Maybe you will be one day, Will. Just be patient," Luffy reassured.

"Coming from the guy whose dad befriended Darkrai!" Will barked. "You guys are so lucky! Why can't that happen to me?"

Mark and Luffy looked at each other and shrugged. "Don't worry, Will. I'm sure you'll find a Legendary to befriend one day. Knowing our luck, it might be soon." Mark laughed and suddenly yawned. "I'm tired,"

"Then let's go to bed. I'll take care of your plate, Mark." Luffy exited the room and went downstairs to return the plate.

Mark crawled into bed and smiled at the sight of Snow and Sparks curled up together. Ninetales was already asleep at the foot of the bed. As he crawled under the covers, thoughts raced through his mind. _What does Anne Marie have to do with Anna and Mist? Is she involved with Cipher? What's that warning going to be? Can we really set Kanto free? I hope so…if not, we're dead._

Luffy came in and turned off the light. Long after Luffy, KC, and Mark fell asleep, Will stared at the ceiling from his bunk above Mark. _Why did this keep bugging me? It's not all that important, anyways. But still…that Battonage guy is a Steel-type trainer. So why did he have a Grass-type? And why did he give Roen that egg? It makes no sense…_

After a bit, Will fell asleep. Snow opened her red eyes and flew toward the computer screen, using her psychic powers to activate the Data ROM. The albino Mew stared at the picture hard. Then she opened her mouth…and spoke. _Anne…Marie? Mist? My…friends._ Raising a paw, she rested it over Anna. _Is that…me?_

_The next morning…_

"TIME TO RISE AND SHINE, GUYS!!"

Mark yelped, falling out of bed and crashing to the floor. Sitting up and rubbing his head, he glared at his brunette rival. "What's the big idea, Will?!" he demanded.

"Dude! It's nearly noon and you're still snoozing!" Will complained. "Shouldn't we be going to the Indigo Plateau?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Mark got up and stretched, yawning. "Ninetales, Snow, return."

Scooping up Sparks, the green-haired boy followed Will downstairs to greet the rest of the Snaggers. "About time, Mark!" Alex said. "Let's go already!"

"Okay, okay! Just give me a second to grab it, Alex!" Mark growled, dropping the Data ROM in his bag and digging around for the teleportation device. Grabbing it, he led the way outside and held it above his head. "Maybe we should hold hands or something so we stay together. Besides, we only have one teleporting device and there are eleven of us."

"Good idea," Luffy agreed. "Everyone, grab onto someone and hold on!"

"Okay," KC grabbed Alex's hand and blushed. "Don't worry. I'll make sure we don't lose you, Alex."

"Thanks," the blue-haired girl muttered, blushing. She squeezed his hand. "If I fall, I'm dragging you down with me."

"Fine by me!" KC chuckled.

"Everyone ready?" Mark asked.

"Yes, mark. Let's go already!" Leena cried.

"All right," Mark grumbled. "Well…here goes nothing!" His thumb pushed the button down, the image of the Indigo Plateau in his mind.

They were instantly dragged forward through a spiraling tunnel of space. Clinging tightly to his friends, Mark hung on with all his might to prevent being sucked into the hurricane-force winds blowing around them. Seeing a small point of light up ahead, he shouted for the Snaggers to hold on. Not that they could hear him. Hitting the light, everyone screamed as they went through it…and began falling.

Mark crashed onto his stomach on the grassy ground in front of the Indigo Plateau. Groaning, he made to get up when Alex landed on his back. One by one, the Snaggers all landed on the pile until they were all there. Slowly clambering off of each other, they stood to marvel the huge building before them.

The building was bigger than most that Mark has seen, with the Silph Co. Building and the Pokemon Tower rivaling it in Kanto. Forest surrounded it on three sides while a long flight of steps went downwards just behind them. Stone statues of Kangaskhan lined the path they had landed on, along with stone pots brimming with plants. And standing in front of the doors…were the Kanto Elite 4 and Red, the current Pokemon Champion.

Lance smiled and approached them. "It's good to see you all made it. Though, I have to say that I never expected that kind of entrance."

"You just all appeared out of thin air!" Agatha added, tapping her cane on the ground. "How did that happen?"

"Using this," Mark explained, holding out the teleportation device. "One of the Cipher Gym Leaders, Florence, gave it to us."

"Incredible," Agatha muttered.

"So, are we going in or not?" Will barked.

"We have to be careful in there. Cipher changed the whole layout inside." Red warned. "We tried to get through and failed. There's a warning carved into the doors leading to the second floor, along with a lock. We need your help to get past it."

"The first floor's trashed," Bruno added. "We'll have to watch our step. You could get seriously injured if you're not paying attention."

"Right. We'll remember that." Mark promised. "Let's go check out this warning."

Bruno opened the door and led the way. Zack noticed the large dent in the door. _Did Bruno do that?_ The blonde moved on, his hand unconsciously drifting to Gyarados' Poke Ball.

The Elite 4 hadn't been kidding. The whole first floor was covered in rubble and debris. It looked like a tornado had just torn through it! Being careful where they stepped, the group made their way to the door and went through it. Stepping onto the lift, it took them to the second floor. Writing was carved into the steel door and a keyhole was placed directly below it.

"It says," Luffy muttered. "…_Beyond this door lay five strong trainers. Beware their power and wrath when challenged. Four to take on weaklings, one to defeat to strong. Together, they battle to defend their goals. Past the barrier and the key, only five challengers shall pass. The originals and the challengers, five of each will go. But in dire situations, a sixth will go through. The spirits of the dead can protect you no longer._"

"So, only five Snaggers can come with. So, who will it be?" Lorelei asked. "I definitely know Mark is going. Who else?"

"I'm not staying out! Count me in!" Will said. "I'm going with Mark until the end!"

"I'll go, too!" KC cried.

"No way! I'll go!" Luffy argued. "KC, you're still just a kid. Let me handle this."

"No! I want to do this! I _need_ to!" KC shot back. "…I don't know why. Something just tells me to go. Please, big brother. Let me do this. Please…"

Luffy fell silent for a bit before finally backing down. "All right. Go," he said. "Just promise me you'll come back safely. I already lost mom. I don't need to lose you, too."

"Hey, I'll be fine! I'll take Darkrai with me." KC replied.

"Darkrai?" Red repeated.

The Dark-type Legendary appeared. _I will protect KC for you, Luffy. I was unable to protect your mother. I won't fail to protect KC._

"...Thanks," Luffy wiped away a tear from his eye. "Mark, make sure KC doesn't get into too much trouble. Okay?"

"Don't worry." Mark smiled. "KC's grown up a lot since you guys first joined us. I think he can handle himself."

"Hey, I'm a big brother! Sue me for worrying!" Luffy laughed.

"I'll go, too." Jake finally said, stepping forward. "My goal is to stop Cipher from creating Shadow Pokemon. If this will delay them in doing that, I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks, guys." Mark said. _Will, KC, Jake, and me. We need one more._

Leena growled and finally stomped forward. "Fine, I'll go! Since nobody else will, I guess I have to!"

"Hey, think of this as fighting against the Pokemon League. You _are_ the sixth place winner, after all." Will suggested.

"That's five," Lance commented. "We have our team set up. Now we have to open this door."

Suddenly, Snow burst out of her Poke Ball. Flying toward the door, she pointed to the keyhole. "Mew mew! Mew!"

"A Mew?! When did you get that?" Red asked.

"Anna gave her to me. I wonder what she wants." Mark said.

"…Wait a sec! Mark, how about trying that key Martin gave you in Fuchsia City?" Roen remembered. "Maybe that key can open this door!"

"Good idea, Roen!" Mark dug into his bag until he found the key. The jagged C on the end glittered in the light and he stepped forward, putting it into the keyhole. Turning it, he heard a loud click. "It worked!"

"Mark, look!" Ookami suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Turning, Mark stared in shock. "Anna!"

The ghostly girl was standing right beside Snow, smiling. "You made it, Mark. I knew you'd do it," she said. "Snow will open the rest of the doors now. No matter what, you have to go to the top floor. You have to beat the Champion, Mark."

"I know that," Mark nodded. Then he noticed something. "What's wrong with Snow?"

"Oh! I hoped you wouldn't notice." The albino Mew was glowing, her red eyes closed as she floated limply. "You see, Mew is actually…me."

"What?! But how?" Red demanded. "How can you be a Pokemon when you're human?"

"I asked Arceus to reincarnate me so I could be with you always, Mark." Anna explained. "So I became Snow. I'm capable of having her project an image of myself with her psychic powers, but she gets really tired afterwards. I'm sorry I never told you."

"Snow…and Anna…are the same?" Will said, confused. "Holy!"

"Unfortunately, all I can do is open these doors for you. I cannot go beyond this point. Once you go through this barrier, you can't come back until you've beaten all five trainers. The barrier will close once the ten of you go through, preventing your friends from following you." Anna explained.

"_The spirits of the dead can protect you no longer_," Jake recited. "You're one of the dead. Even reborn, you can't help us through this if you're trapped on this side of the barrier."

"That's right," Anna nodded.

"Either way, we have to keep going. Let's go, guys!" Mark stepped through the pale red energy barrier blocking the door.

The Elite 4 and Red followed him. Leena, Jake, and KC went next while Will waited, running through last. Waving goodbye to their friends, the ten trainers moved on toward the third floor where they would face the first of the Cipher Elite 4.

Walking up the stairs, the gang started making their plans. "We should split up into five teams of two," Lance suggested. "Each group can face a single member of the Cipher Elite 4 while Red and Mark make their way to the top and fight the Cipher Champion."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jake said. "I'll go with Lorelei. Her opponent will likely use Ice-types and, as a Fire-type trainer, I'll have the advantage."

"I'll go with Agatha," Leena volunteered.

"Your reason has nothing to do with my age, does it?" Agatha growled.

"Nope!" the raven-haired girl replied. "I just always wanted to fight alongside you. Plus, Ghost-types are fun to fight against."

"Good for you. I think I like your spunk, girl." Agatha commented.

"Thanks," Leena smirked.

"I'll take Bruno's side!" KC cried.

"I guess that leaves us together, Lance." Will chuckled.

"I hope you can keep up with me, Will. Dragon-types are extremely powerful. You sure you can handle fighting a few?" Lance asked, smirking.

"I know how strong they can be. I happen to have a Gabite on my team." Will bragged.

"You may want to have something that can fly." Lance muttered. "Most Dragon-type battles tend to become aerial fights."

"Uh…oops," Will only had Staraptor as a Flying-type but it wasn't strong enough to do combat against Dragon-type Pokemon! Then he got an idea. "Mark, can I borrow Salamence?"

"Huh? How come?" Mark asked.

"I need a strong Flying-type to help me out in an aerial fight." Will explained. "I've seen how strong your Salamence is and he's perfect for this!"

"Who will you trade me to get him?" Mark pressed.

"Um…how about my Elekid? He's really close to evolving and I have an Electirizer so he can become an Electivire." Will offered. "And once we beat these guys, we'll trade back."

"Deal!" Mark tossed his rival Salamence's Poke Ball and caught Elekid's. "Take care of him."

"Don't worry! I will!" Will nodded.

"That's not what I meant. I told _Salamence_ to take care of _you_." Mark laughed.

"Grrrr!" Will ignored Mark, angry about the comment. _I don't need taking care of! I'm not a little kid, darn it!!_

"Here's the first room!" Lorelei called, stopping before an open door. "This is where we stop, Jake."

"Right," the raven-haired teen nodded. "You guys keep going. You have your own battles to fight."

"Yeah! You be careful, Jake." Mark said.

Jake smirked. "Promise. Now get out of here."

As the rest of the group ran up the next flight of stairs, Lorelei and Jake turned to face their opponent. Zero smiled. "About time you got here! I was getting bored waiting for you to show up!" he complained. "Now we can have some fun. Shadow Jynx, let's do this!"

"Dewgong!" Lorelei called.

"Get in there, Houndoom!" Jake ordered.

The three Pokemon appeared, waiting to fight. After a few moments, the Pokemon charged toward each other. "ATTACK!!" the trio of trainers cried.

Ice and fire collided, creating a thick cloud of steam. The battle between the Snaggers and the Cipher Elite 4 has begun!

"Here's my room," Bruno panted, resting a hand on the wall by the open door to his arena. "You keep going. KC and I can handle this guy."

"Be careful…both of you." Red begged.

"We'll be okay! Don't worry about us." KC reassured. "Even if we lose, you guys have to keep going. The Champion matters the most. We take him down—"

"And the Cipher Elite 4 will fall with him. We all know that, KC." Lance finished. "Good luck, Bruno. You and KC will need it."

"What we need is _strength_, Lance. Not luck," Bruno growled. "Go,"

As the others carried on, Bruno and KC entered the room. A spiky-haired brunette wearing a black muscle shirt and white pants with frayed edges stood on the other end of the room, a Shadow Golem standing by his side. He was barefoot and smirking. "So, you're the ones who have to fight me. A little kid and a muscle-head? This is just too easy," he teased.

"Don't underestimate your enemies. It may be your undoing." Bruno warned.

"Save the advice for someone who cares!" the Cipher Elite 4 member barked. "The name's Cole, by the way. Remember it! Go on, Golem. Show them your strength!"

"Onix!" Bruno ordered, tossing out the rock snake.

"Blastoise, help us win this!" KC smiled as the giant turtle appeared. "Get ready to lose, Cole!"

"I doubt it," Cole chuckled. "Golem, Shadow Earthquake!"

The dark brown head nodded, glowing red eyes lighting up in glee as it jumped as high as something its weight could. Curling into a rocky black ball, it collided with the ground with the force of a train crash. The room shook violently, throwing Cole's opponents to the ground and toppling their Pokemon.

Halfway up the stairway leading to Agatha's arena, the building began to shake heavily. The elder stumbled and fell backward, only to be caught by Will. "You okay?" he asked.

"I think so," Agatha nodded, standing up and leaning against the shaking wall. "What in Arceus' name is happening?!"

"It must be Bruno and KC fighting," Lance muttered.

"No matter what happens, we have to keep going!" Mark said. "Help each other and keep going, guys!"

After quite a struggle, they reached the top and stood before the open door of Agatha's arena. Agatha entered with saying anything, Leena swiftly following her. Mark led the others up the stairs to the fourth arena, praying for their safety. The shaking continued.

Agatha stopped and glared at Siobhan. "My own granddaughter is serving those wretched people?!" she said in disbelief. "Siobhan, why?"

"I want power and this is the best way to get it." Siobhan replied, not feeling even the slightest bit of pity for her grandmother. "Now, are we going to battle or not? I can understand if you don't want to, grandma, but I intend to beat that Snagger girl."

"Agatha…?" Leena looked from Agatha to Siobhan and back. _Those two are related?! That has to suck for Agatha. What a bratty girl! I'll show her a thing or two…_

"Haunter, time to play!" Siobhan called, unleashing the pitch black Shadow Pokemon.

"Sinner, show your stuff!" Leena growled, unleashing the Fearow.

Agatha remained silent for a moment before looking up, determination flaring in her eyes. "I don't understand your reasons for this but I cannot stand by and allow this to continue. I shall defeat you and show you the truth!" the old woman cried.

"Nice speech, grandma, but it won't work." Siobhan smirked. "You see, I've already far surpassed your skills as a Ghost-type trainer. I've finally found the key to the strongest Ghost-type in existence, locked away inside of a book. And upon hearing my call, I can both unleash it…and _control_ it! You're no match for me, grandma!"

"We'll see about that," Agatha muttered. "Go, Gengar!"

"You old fool…" Siobhan growled. "Why don't you just give up and retire! You'll wish you had when I'm through with you!"

"Bring it!" Leena shouted.

Sinner dove toward the Haunter, his beak flying through the ghost and causing the bird to spiral before shooting into the air again. Being a Ghost-type, physical attack had no effect against Haunter. Sinner specialized in physical attacks but was forced against something that pure strength couldn't defeat. Now the Fearow was mad!

Back on the stairway, Mark and the gang had finally reached Lance's arena. "You show that guy who's boss, okay? I'm counting on you, Will." The green-haired boy patted the brunette's shoulder. "Salamence will protect you."

"Hey! Who says I need protecting?" Will laughed. "Once I beat this guy and you beat the Champion, you and me are gonna have a rematch!"

Mark blinked in surprise before smiling. "Sure you're not gonna regret it later?"

"Dude, I hold no regrets about _anything_ we've done so far." Will replied. "Maybe _you're_ the one with regrets."

"…Maybe," Mark shook his head and walked toward the stairway. "You go beat that guy, Will. Once we reach Tohjo Falls, we'll have our rematch."

"Good! I'm not gonna forget!" Will promised. "I'll beat you this time! I know I will!"

"See you then." Mark and Red ascended the steps.

Lance and Will entered the arena and faced the final member of the Cipher Elite 4. He had short blonde hair that parted just above his left eye and was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with purple stripes running down the sleeves, tan pants, and black and purple tennis shoes. "So, you finally came. Done hiding now?" he asked.

"We were never hiding," Lance replied. "Just waiting for friends,"

"Meh," the teen shrugged. "Not like I care. I'm Chase. Time to begin our battle," Tossing a Poke Ball forward, Chase released his Shadow Flygon and hopped onto its back. With a few beats of its wings, Flygon was airborne. "I'm guessing we'll be fighting in the air like all Dragon-type trainers do."

"Right," Lance called upon his Dragonite to carry him.

_Please listen to me,_ Will mentally begged. Tossing forth Salamence, he climbed warily onto its back and hung on as the Dragon-type shot into the air. Soon, Will and Lance were flying side-by-side. "Ready?"

"Ready," Lance nodded.

"Then let's begin," Chase said.

At that moment, three Hyper Beams were unleashed and collided. In an explosion of smoke, blasts of orange light shot around the arena in search of targets to strike. Their battle was now a blind battle to strike down your opponents before you were struck down. A blast connected with someone, followed by a roar of a wounded Dragon-type. The Pokemon and its rider fell from the smoke toward the ground far below.

_Far away on an unidentified island…_

"Hurry it up! Don't let it escape!" a Cipher agent shouted.

This agent had on mostly-white clothing and a helmet with a flap on the back. As her troops swarmed around her, she pulled off her helmet to speak better. Long red hair tumbled down and her sapphire blue eyes focused on the target of her mission. The commander's name was Calor and she was an unwilling servant to Cipher.

"Get the nets! Don't let it escape again!" Calor shouted.

She and her group of agents had been sent to a strange island in search of Mewtwo. They had discovered the clone Pokemon and were now trying to capture it. That was proving to be much harder than it looked, especially since Mewtwo continued teleporting away whenever the psychic-draining nets were thrown. Mewtwo was far too clever.

_Foolish humans,_ Mewtwo thought, teleporting away once again to avoid the nets.

Why these humans were chasing him, he did not know nor care. He had come here in search of Mew, who had gone missing a while ago. Despite Arceus' predictions about Cipher, Mewtwo had gone ahead and began to look for him. Someone had to keep an eye on his fun-loving counterpart, anyways.

Teleporting away again, he formed a ball of dark energy between his three-fingered hands. Tossing it toward the humans, he watched in amusement as they screamed and scattered to avoid it. Only the redhead woman did not flee, her eyes still locked on him. How odd…

_I have no time for this,_ Mewtwo muttered. _I have to find Mew and make sure he's all right. Arceus can't be right. Mew can't be a slave to a human. He just can't!_

Suddenly, he sensed a familiar energy coming from the northwest. It seemed familiar but there was a…dark quality to it. Whatever it was, Mewtwo decided to check it out. Sending one final glare over his shoulder, he flew at top speed toward the energy source. Only when he grew closer did he recognize the energy.

_Mew,_ he realized. This realization only made him speed up. Whatever that darkness was, Mew was at the heart of it!

Calor turned and stalked away, signaling for her agents to follow her. "I can't believe we lost it."

"Legendaries are hard to catch, boss," one of the agents said. "We'll get it next time."

"I hope you're right," Lifting the teleportation device above her head, she and her men vanished.

_Indigo Plateau, Pokemon Champion's arena…_

As Mark and Red ran up the steps to the top floor, Mark thought about what Will had said. _Do I have any regrets about this? About anything I've done up until now? I stole Pokemon from their trainers because they needed to be healed. I've put so many people at risk on this journey and I hadn't realized just how much danger until now. Those guys could kill my friends!_

_What would've happened if I never went to Shamouti Island that day? None of this would've happened. I'd probably be fighting against the Johto League by now. I'd be getting the title of Pokemon Champion for the second time in my life. And yet here I am, fighting an evil organization bent on world domination. And I'm putting my friends in danger doing it._

Mark closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. _What'll happen if I lose this fight? Will they kill me and my friends? Or will they make us work for them and rule the world, using us to take over? So much is riding on this fight and I have to win…for the world's sake! For my friends! Why me?!_

Red's voice broke into his thoughts. "Calm down, Mark! We can do this!"

"What if we can't?!" Mark demanded. "Kanto is counting on us to free it and if we lose, Cipher will rule the world! Don't you understand how much pressure we're under here?!"

"Forget about the pressure and about Cipher," Red advised. "Take a deep breath and calm down. Don't think of this fight as the fate of Kanto. Think of it as winning the title of Pokemon Champion twice in a row. Fight with all your heart and believe in both yourself and your Pokemon. They'll guide you to victory. As long as you have faith, you can never lose!"

Mark stared at the Pokemon Champion in shock. _He's…right. How could I doubt myself at a time like this?! I should be as focused as ever. Red's right! Don't think of saving the world. Think of it as becoming Champion again. I can do this! I know I can!_

"Feeling better now?" Red asked.

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "Thanks, Red. I really needed that. Let's beat this guy!"

"That's the spirit!" Red cheered.

"Pi pikachu!" Sparks agreed.

Reaching the door leading to Red's arena, the pair entered and faced Axl. The blue-haired teen smirked upon seeing them. "Welcome to the top of the Pokemon League Building, Mark and Red. You must've come here to fight me. I accept your challenge with honor," he said.

"Prepare to lose! Sparks, get in there!" Mark ordered.

"Saur, you too!" Red cried, unleashing his Venusaur.

Axl smiled. "Fools," he said. "You have no idea of the power you're messing with now. I'm not like any of those goons or those Elite 4 idiots. I'm much stronger. Want to know why?"

"…Why?" Mark finally asked. _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

"Because I have…this!" Axl tossed a Master Ball into the ring and a Pokemon erupted from it in a blast of violet and black energy.

"No way!" Red gasped. "But…now? I thought it didn't have a trainer yet!"

"I guess Cipher found one," Mark replied, backing up a step. "Question is, though…is Axl able to control it or not?"

Floating before Axl, violet energy crackling off his jet black fur, his glowing red eyes glaring at them with utter hatred…was Shadow Mew. The Shadow Pokemon's red-tipped tail whipped from side to side with impatience, ready to fight. His dark aura was much stronger than that of any Shadow Pokemon Mark had ever encountered. He was overwhelmed by how much darkness Shadow Mew possessed.

"Of course I have control of him," Axl replied. "I have _complete_ control over Shadow Mew. Better start praying. Your lives end here!"

Floating in a shadowy corner of the gym, close to the ceiling, Mewtwo simply stared at the Shadow Pokemon. Mew was a Shadow Pokemon. He was a human's slave. Mew has his heart closed. The clone Pokemon felt his rage building. _How dare they?!_ He growled, clenching his fists. _They'll pay…those humans will pay for doing this to Mew!!_

**Next Chapter:** Error of the Past

"You're good, Jake. But I'm better!" Zero cried. "Mamoswine, use Shadow Snow!"

"Houndoom, counter it with Flamethrower!" Jake ordered.

The snow melted the moment the fire touched it. The Shadow Mamoswine bellowed and broke its feet from the ice Dewgong had formed to keep it stuck in one place. Charging, the mammoth tossed Dewgong away from it in rage. Lorelei screamed and crashed into Jake, sending both trainers crashing to the ice-cold arena floor. Something metallic and shiny fell out of Jake's pocket, landing lightly in a pile of snow.

As the pair attempted to recover from the collision, Zero stepped forward and picked up the piece of metal from the snow. Turning it over in his hands, he finally found something engraved in the back. The blue-haired boy's smirk grew. "I knew it,"

Jake coughed and sat up, only to jump to his feet upon seeing the metal object. "Drop that right now!" Pulling back his fist, the raven-haired boy punched Zero as hard as he could and sent him flying into a snow pile. Snatching up the metal object, he stuffed it into his pocket and glared.

"I knew it. I was right after all." Zero coughed, struggling to sit up while clutching his stinging cheek. "I _have_ seen you before, back in Orre. You were part of Team Snagem!"

"What?!" Lorelei gasped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, how was it? A lot of surprises and such that, hopefully, kept you interested. The next five chapters will each focus on the individual battles going on in the Indigo Plateau: Jake and Lorelei vs. Zero, KC and Bruno vs. Cole, Leena and Agatha vs. Siobhan, Will and Lance vs. Chase, and Mark and Red vs. Axl. I have a lot planned for these battles and a lot will be happening soon.

You'll find out how Brad's father ended up as a Ninetales later, probably after they reunite with Mist, Freeze, and Brad. And you'll fid out the meaning of the warning soon enough in the following chapters, mainly who the mysterious sixth person is. Any guesses on who it is?

Well, I hope you liked it. I'm gonna be spending plenty of time making these next five battles as descriptive and awesome as my other fights have been. They might just end up being the longest chapters in this story to date if I lose track of how many pages are in just one of the fights. I'm going to make these ones the best in this story.

I have also just started up my first forum/RP and I would appreciate it if you guys would check it out. Maybe even join? I also have this notice in my profile in case any of you read it ahead of time. Hope to see you there and if not, at least I can see you here.

I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!


	36. Chapter 36: Error of the Past

Hi, guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I'm so sorry this is so late! School's almost over for the year, so I've had tests galore and they've all sucked. Plus, add writer's block in the mix and you can probably understand my situation. If not, oh well. I'm finally getting a break and focusing back on my stories. By the time this is posted, I should be a fourth of the way through the second Elite 4 battle.

As I said, these next few chapters will focus on the individual Elite 4 battles and will end with the Pokemon Champion battle. Just as a warning, these may be the longest chapters I've ever written in this story since I'm trying to fit in one battle per chapter. Just thought I should remind you of that.

This chapter will contain the Zero battle, along with an explanation of Jake's past and why he wants to stop Cipher from creating Shadow Pokemon. This will also explain his Umbreon's odd condition and the whole breeding thing.

I hope you enjoy this first installment of the Cipher Elite 4 fights. Onto the chapter!

Chapter 36: Error of the Past

The steam cleared, revealing all three Pokemon unharmed but ready to continue. "Jynx, use Shadow Ice Beam!" Zero ordered.

"Houndoom, use Fire Blast!" Jake cried.

Lorelei smiled, an idea coming to mind. "Cloyster, help out. Dewgong, use Ice Beam! Cloyster, use Spike Cannon!"

The ice-covered missiles rocketed toward Jynx. "Use Shadow Psychic and turn them back on Jake!" Zero shouted.

Shadow Jynx closed her eyes and a purple glow encased the missiles. They turned in midair and shot toward Jake. As they neared him, Jake smirked. _This is too easy. They shouldn't underestimate me, especially when I've been in this kind of situation before!_ "Houndoom, use Fire Blast and then dodge it!"

Just seconds before the missiles could strike, Houndoom unleashed a blast of flame that melted the ice. Then the canine jumped into the air to dodge the spikes. Jake spotted Lorelei's smirk and nodded back. Cloyster released more Spike Cannons upon Jynx and Houndoom readied himself to strike.

"Trying that again? I don't think so. Jynx, throw them right back again!" Zero barked.

The moment the spikes shot the opposite direction, Zero spotted the real threat. Houndoom had been using the spikes as cover to get closer to Jynx! The Fire-type pounced and unleashed a jet of superheated flame, injuring Jynx. Jynx used her large hands to slap the canine away, backing up to recover from her burns. Houndoom skidded to a stop by Jake's side.

"Good boy," the raven-haired boy said, patting the Pokemon on the head.

"Clever," Zero muttered. "But try this on for size! Shadow Psywave!"

A hot energy wave exploded from Jynx's open palms, crashing into Houndoom and sending the canine flying into a wall. The force was strong enough to cause the wall to crack and leave an indent of Houndoom's outline. Houndoom whimpered, blood running from his jaws.

"Houndoom!" Jake cried.

"Cloyster, use Supersonic!" Lorelei ordered.

Cloyster unleashed a series of high-pitched sound waves. Jynx started looking around wildly, confused. Zero growled, clapping his hands over his ears. He saw Lorelei's lips moving but was unable to hear what she was saying. _You're kidding! This isn't fair! If you want to play dirty, I'll just have to, too._

That's when he heard a loud roar over the sound of the Supersonic attack. Looking up, he stared in shock as a gigantic wave appeared…and began racing straight toward him and Jynx! Growling, Zero tossed out his Abomasnow. Only three of his six Pokemon were Shadow Pokemon, Jynx included. Abomasnow was one of his three non-Shadow Pokemon and his favorite of the team.

"Use Ice Beam to freeze that wave!" he shouted.

"Aboma…SNOW!!" the Ice/Grass-type bellowed, a beam of ice erupting from its open mouth.

The moment it struck the wave, the rushing wall of water came to a complete stop. It took the duo a second to realize what had happened. Lorelei stepped forward and reached out, touching it. Gasping, she backed up.

"He froze it solid in only a few seconds," she muttered. "I've never seen an Ice Beam work so quickly on such a large target."

"Abomasnow is my strongest Pokemon, so his moves are supercharged to keep up with his power." Zero replied, smirking. "I captured this Abomasnow in Sinnoh just before I joined Cipher. No matter how much I hurt him, he only grew stronger from the pain he was exposed to. He's truly an incredible Pokemon."

Houndoom growled and got up, coughing. Slowly, the Fire/Dark-type made his way around the frozen mega wave and fell into a hunter's crouch, eyes locked on Shadow Jynx. She was wide open for an attack now. Feeling heat build up in his jaws, the canine crept forward and used the ice as shields.

"But don't worry. I only use Abomasnow if I deem my opponents worthy of fighting him. You're obviously not worthy." Zero returned his Abomasnow. "Now to continue our fight. Jynx, use—"

Jynx suddenly screamed as fire burned her right side. Zero snapped his attention toward the Shadow Pokemon, shocked to see Houndoom attacking her. Jake smirked and grabbed a Snag Ball, tossing it to capture the severely weakened Jynx. "You were saying?" he teased.

"You…" Zero suddenly ran toward Houndoom and crashed his foot into the canine's side. Houndoom yelped, leaping away just seconds before a second kick could be delivered. "I'll get you for that! Nobody takes my Pokemon from me! Shadow Mamoswine, get out here!"

The giant mammoth appeared, lowering his dangerous tusks so he could easily strike the smaller Pokemon with them. Houndoom snarled, barring his fangs. He knew what was coming next.

"Jake, this Mamoswine is a lot stronger than that Jynx was. We have to be careful," Lorelei warned. "Those tusks could be fatal if hit just right."

"What do you want to do then?" Jake asked. "Fighting while avoiding those tusks is impossible…unless you have a plan."

Lorelei smirked. "However did you know?" she giggled. "Just have your Houndoom do as I say and those tusks won't be too much of a threat anymore."

"…Fine," the raven-haired boy replied.

Zero growled on the other side of the stadium, tapping his foot impatiently. _Why aren't they attacking? Are they finally realizing how futile it is to fight me? Serves them right._ "Mamoswine, use Shadow Ancient Power!"

"MAMO!!" The black mammoth reared up on his back legs, bellowing.

"Look out! Jake, do it now!" Lorelei shouted, jumping onto Dewgong's back. The white seal turned and jumped high into the air, Cloyster following.

"Houndoom, get around to its side and start attacking Mamoswine's legs!" Jake ordered.

The devil dog raced around the upright mammoth and struck, biting and clawing Mamoswine's back legs. Bellowing in pain, the Ground/Ice-type's front legs hit the ground hard and giant rocks shot up from the ground around him. The rocks shot all around him, a few bouncing off of the frozen mega wave.

Turning, Mamoswine attempted to impale the Fire-type with his tusks. Houndoom grinned as best a dog could and sat down, waiting for the attack. His tusks stopped only inches from the canine's chest. Mamoswine growled and tried to move his front legs so he could turn. That's when he realized the problem.

"W-what?! How did you do that without Mamoswine noticing?!" Zero cried.

Mamoswine's feet, all four of them, were trapped in a thick casing of ice. He couldn't move his feet at all. Swinging his head around wildly, the Shadow Pokemon tried to break free. No success, though.

"Great job, Lorelei! Now it's my turn. Houndoom!" Jake ordered.

Houndoom jumped, landing on Mamoswine's back. Feeling the paws walking across his broad back, Mamoswine started thrashing wildly to throw him off. The canine yelped and ran, coming to a stop once he was on Mamoswine's head. His two targets were directly below him now.

"Jump and use Fire Blast!" Jake shouted.

Houndoom jumped as high as he could, fire nearly exploding from his jaws. Throwing back his head, the canine looked down once again and attacked. Burning-hot flames shot toward the trapped Mamoswine, weakening the ice trapping him but causing more damage with every passing second.

Unable to remain airborne for much longer, the flames ceased and Houndoom landed on the ground a few feet from the heavily-injured Mamoswine. Its mighty tusks, being made of pure ice, had partially melted to the point of no longer being fatal. Zero trembled, his fists clenched.

"You lose with that fight, Zero." Jake grabbed a Snag Ball. "Bring out your next Pokemon. Or are you going to give up now?"

It took a few seconds before the blue-haired boy replied. A smirk was on his face as he looked up. Jake definitely didn't like that look.

"You're good, Jake. But I'm better!" Zero cried. "Mamoswine, use Shadow Snow!"

"Houndoom, counter it with Flamethrower!" Jake ordered.

The snow melted the moment the fire touched it. The Shadow Mamoswine bellowed and broke its feet from the ice Dewgong had formed to keep it stuck in one place. Charging, the mammoth tossed Dewgong away from it in rage. Lorelei screamed and crashed into Jake, sending both trainers crashing to the ice-cold arena floor. Something metallic and shiny fell out of Jake's pocket, landing lightly in a pile of snow.

As the pair attempted to recover from the collision, Zero stepped forward and picked up the piece of metal from the snow. Turning it over in his hands, he finally found something engraved in the back. The blue-haired boy's smirk grew. "I knew it,"

Jake coughed and sat up, only to jump to his feet upon seeing the metal object. "Drop that right now!" Pulling back his fist, the raven-haired boy punched Zero as hard as he could and sent him flying into a snow pile. Snatching up the metal object, he stuffed it into his pocket and glared.

"I knew it. I was right after all." Zero coughed, struggling to sit up while clutching his stinging cheek. "I _have_ seen you before, back in Orre. You were part of Team Snagem!"

"What?!" Lorelei gasped.

Zero smirked, waiting. "Not saying anything in your defense, huh? I guess I'm right!" he laughed. "Your team originally helped to create Shadow Pokemon. Funny, I thought Team Snagem was too afraid to leave Orre."

"They were," Jake muttered. "All of them, even Gonzap, were afraid to leave. But I wasn't. I wanted to stop all of this. So I left."

"What are you planning to do with these Shadow Pokemon, Jake?" Zero asked.

"Save them from you people," Jake replied. "I'll never forgive you people for what you've done to them. These Pokemon were your friends and this is how you treat them!"

"Who cares? They're just Pokemon. If one dies, you can always find another one. They're everywhere." Zero said.

"You don't get it, you idiot. You people never will!" Jake shouted, glaring hatefully at Zero. "You don't understand friendship, or loyalty, or faith, or love! You don't know those things! Those are what bond a Pokemon to its trainer. You people obviously don't have that! Any of that!"

"And that matters, how?" Zero asked. "What can one person do?"

"It only takes one person to change the world," Lorelei finally said.

"So, you're on his side?" Zero asked.

"Yes," the Elite 4 member nodded. Resting a hand on Jake's shoulder, she continued. "It's a shock to learn this, but that doesn't change things. Jake has helped the Snaggers fight against you people and wants to save the Pokemon you've captured. His past is his own."

"Oh, really? Do you know what he has done?" Zero demanded. "Team Snagem has done just as many horrible acts as we have! Our teams are equal!"

"You abandoned Team Snagem during your second uprising!" Jake shouted. His fists were shaking.

"Who cares? Are you going to keep fighting or are you going to give up?" Zero chuckled.

"I'll never forgive you…" Jake muttered, shaking in rage. His memory reminded him of his reason every single day. The day he realized Cipher's true plans…and the day his life changed forever.

_Five years ago, Team Snagem Base, Orre…_

"_Jake, come on! Wake up, man!" a voice shouted, shaking the younger boy roughly. "Boss Gonzap's gonna be mad if you don't get up soon!"_

"_I'm up, I'm up!" Jake sat up and stretched, yawning. Rubbing his eyes, the 10-year-old got up. "What's so important that I've got to be up this early?"_

"_Simple," an older boy around 13 years old with spiky red hair replied. "One of those Cipher guys is visiting and wants to become acquainted with everyone in Team Snagem."_

"_Didn't they abandon us?" Jake asked._

"_Yeah, but I guess they want to see us again. You should've seen Boss Gonzap's face when he was informed that Cipher was visiting. It was hilarious!"_

"_Tell me about it later," Jake said. "We better get going before Boss Gonzap gets angry."_

"_You got that right!" the redhead nodded, leading the way as they exited their room._

_After running through the nearly-empty halls, the pair entered the main room of Team Snagem's base and joined their fellow grunts. Up front was Gonzap, along with a strange dark-skinned man wearing a silver trench coat. He had spiky black hair the pointed forward slightly and deep black eyes that seemed to pierce your soul the moment he locked eyes with you. He seemed to be searching through the crowd of grunts, looking for someone._

_Standing behind the man, her back resting against the wall, was a woman with long blue hair ending in a curl near the bottom. A beautiful Persian sat near her feet, a pink bow tied around its neck. Held in the woman's arms…was a Pokemon egg._

_Jake didn't know why but something about that egg attracted him to it. Almost as if it were calling him. A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, jerking him out of his daze. Turning, he saw his redhead friend. "What?" he asked._

"_What do you think you were doing, Jake?" the redhead demanded. "You just started walking like a zombie for no reason. What's with you?"_

"_It's that egg," Jake replied. "Something about it makes me feel…weird."_

"_No duh! Weren't you listening?" the redhead hissed. "Gonzap just said that one of us was going to be given that egg to raise. It's for a project Cipher is doing. Knowing them, it's not gonna be a very easy project."_

"_Really?" Jake asked._

"_Indeed, young man,"_

_Jake yelped, turning to find the raven-haired man standing behind him. Then he noticed that everyone had backed away, leaving Jake and the Cipher man in the center of the room. Gonzap and the woman waited patiently._

"_W-what do you w-want with m-me?" Jake asked, suddenly afraid._

"_Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." The man turned to the woman. "Selene, I believe we've found who we're looking for."_

"_Are you sure, Cain?" the woman, Selene, asked. "Take into account what we discussed earlier. There's no turning back once he accepts."_

"_I know what I'm doing, Selene," the dark-skinned man, Cain, growled. "Now bring the egg here."_

"_Fine," Selene stepped forward before holding out the egg. "It seems you'll be taking care of our little project…"_

"_Jake," Jake replied, knowing she had been asking for his name._

"_Jake, take good care of it." Cain said, giving a kind smile. Jake shivered anyhow. Something about this didn't feel right. "Gonzap, don't send this kid out on anymore missions until this egg hatches."_

"_Fine," Gonzap was obviously angry. He wanted no more involvement between Team Snagem and Cipher, but his wishes were being ignored. "Now get out of here."_

"_Gladly," Selene huffed, scooping up her Persian. "Cain, let's go. This place reeks!"_

"_Of course," Cain turned back to Jake and held out a PDA. "It has my number in it. Call me if anything…unusual happens. Good day, Jake." Cain swiftly followed after his associate, leaving the Team Snagem Base far behind them._

"_Lucky!" the redhead clapped him on the back. "I guess you were right, buddy! This is so cool!"_

"_You're all dismissed!" Gonzap shouted. "Jake, I'd like a word with you."_

"_Oops," the redhead whimpered. "Spoke too soon. Good luck, buddy." He slunk away with the rest of the grunts._

_Jake quietly followed Gonzap back to his office. Being called upon by Gonzap could be good or bad. You could be getting praised, which was rare, and possibly promoted for completing a dangerous mission without any slip-ups. Or you could be getting punished, which was common, and possibly demoted for messing up a mission entirely. Jake was scared of what Gonzap might want with him._

_Sitting in his chair, Gonzap looked at Jake sternly. "I'm surprised that Cipher picked a shrimp like you to assist in one of their projects," he grumbled. "Either way, this could benefit us. Jake, I want you to report everything that happens to that egg directly to me. That egg could be holding a powerful Pokemon."_

"_But what about what Cain said?" Jake asked._

"_When has Cipher ever kept their word?" Gonzap asked. "They're obviously planning on taking you back to Cipher with them once that egg hatches. You don't want to go, right?"_

"_Of course not! Those guys are filthy traitors!" Jake argued. "Why would I ever want to be one of them?"_

"_Good boy," Gonzap chuckled. "As Cain ordered, your missions will be given to other grunts until that egg hatches. Once it does, I want you to train it."_

"_Yes, Boss Gonzap!" Jake replied. "Cipher's gonna regret giving this egg to Team Snagem!"_

"_That's right," Gonzap agreed. "Now go back to your room, shrimp. You may not have any missions but that won't stop you from doing your work around the base."_

"_Yes, Boss Gonzap." Jake turned and raced out the door, clutching the egg close to his chest._

_The next few weeks were boring for Jake. Aside from doing the usual chores around the base, all of his time was spent caring for the egg. Hundreds of questions kept running through his head. What would it be when it hatched? Would it like him? Why did Cipher have a Pokemon egg? What were they planning to do with it? Unfortunately, he had no answers for those questions._

_Then, nearly six weeks after Cipher had given him the egg, it finally hatched. Naturally, it was the middle of the night and Jake was sleeping. His red-haired friend, having just returned from a mission at that very moment, woke him up just as cracks spider-webbed across its shell._

"_Dude, it's finally hatching!" he congratulated._

"_I know," Jake nodded, looking down at the egg in his arms. "Come on, little guy. You can do it."_

_The egg moved slightly, signaling the struggle the baby inside was obviously having. Then the top of the egg popped off and a pair of glowing red eyes peered back at him. After a few moments, the rest of the egg fell apart to reveal the baby. It was an Eevee, but its fur was dark gray instead of brown._

"_Whoa! Is that a shiny Pokemon?" the red-haired boy asked. "Lucky! Those are incredibly rare!"_

"_But it's not very strong, like Boss Gonzap had hoped." Jake added, frowning._

"_Vee!" The strangely-colored Eevee licked his cheek. "Vee vee!"_

_The raven-haired boy laughed. "Hey, stop that! That tickles, silly!" Jake laughed. Picking the Eevee up, he smiled. "I have to admit that you're pretty cute, though."_

"_Hey, don't you have to report this to Boss Gonzap?"_

"_Yeah," Jake nodded. "I'll do it in the morning. I don't want to face a cranky Boss Gonzap at this hour."_

"_Good point," the red-haired goon agreed. "Well, I'm hitting the sack. Night, Jake!" Climbing into his bed, he fell asleep almost immediately._

_Jake lay back down in his own bed and stroked Eevee's fur. "Night, Eevee."_

"_Vee,"_

_The raven-haired boy fell asleep, his new Eevee by his side. But if he had stayed awake for a moment longer, he would have seen the shadowy aura around his Eevee…along with the Gengar peering into his window before it fled into the night._

_The next morning, Gonzap was both pleased and disappointed. Thanks to the Eevee's odd coloring, Gonzap had decided it was indeed shiny and thus was very rare. But he was disappointed that it was a weak little Eevee. As he had said six weeks previously, Gonzap would keep the hatching a secret from Cipher…for now._

_Unfortunately, fate was cruel and unfair at times. Like now._

_As Jake was about to walk out the door, he nearly walked straight into Cain and Selene of Cipher. Yelping, he retreated backward as the two Cipher agents entered the room. "Um, hi?" he squeaked._

"_Hell again, Jake," Cain greeted. Then he turned to glare at Gonzap. "We suspected you would try something like this, Gonzap. I was sorely offended that you thought you could try and use this Shadow Pokemon against us. I'm afraid you were mistaken."_

"_Shadow Pokemon?!" Gonzap and Jake both repeated, shocked._

"_Yes, Shadow Pokemon." Selene nodded, stroking her Persian. "That Eevee you have, Jake, is the first Shadow Pokemon to be successfully created through breeding a Shadow Umbreon with a normal Ditto. We feared it would not work…but apparently, it did. We have here a baby Shadow Pokemon."_

_Jake just stood there, frozen. He had heard of Shadow Pokemon, mainly about XD001 a.k.a. Shadow Lugia. Their hearts were closed and they could only learn Shadow moves, all of which emanated a dark aura. They were supposed to be dangerous and emotionless, but…_

"_Thanks to Gonzap's failed plan of keeping it for himself, I'm afraid we'll be taking that Eevee back now." Cain said. "Jake, please hand over Eevee."_

_Jake looked down at the gray and white Eevee. He didn't seem dangerous, and he seemed happy to see Jake when he hatched. Making his decision, he looked up and glared at the Cipher agents. "No!"_

"_Jake, do you understand what you're doing?" Cain demanded, clearly angry._

"_Forget negotiating, Cain! I'm doing this with force!" Selene snapped. "Persian, use Slash on the brat and take that Eevee!"_

"_Persian per!" The cream feline jumped from her arms and launched herself at Jake, claw extended. "Per!!"_

"_Vee!" Eevee jumped from Jake's arms, taking the attack himself. Persian flung the injured Eevee across the room, throwing him into the wall behind Jake. "Vee…" He fell limp once he hit the ground, pain shooting through his tiny body._

"_Eevee!" Jake cried, turning and running to his side. He picked the wounded Eevee up gently, cradling him in his arms. "Eevee…" Tears of rage appeared in the corners of his eyes but Jake refused to let them fall._

_Selene gasped, turning to look at Cain in confusion. Scooping up her Persian, her attention turned back to Jake. "Cain, what just happened?" she demanded._

"_Well, it seems pretty obvious, Selene." Cain replied. "Like any baby Pokemon, the first person it sees is dubbed its mother. But Shadow Pokemon, their emotions sealed away and their hearts closed, have no need for such things. It seems that somewhere in the breeding process, that Eevee gained its emotions back and became attached to that boy. How strange…"_

"_But its heart is still closed, right?" Selene barked._

"_It wouldn't be a Shadow Pokemon if its heart wasn't, now would it?" Cain replied. "It seems we've underestimated what the breeding process does to the young Shadow Pokemon. We'll need to inform Prof. Pine of that."_

"_Anyway, hand over the Eevee1" Selene growled, turning to glare at Jake._

"_That's enough!" Gonzap shouted, standing up. He put himself between Jake and the Cipher agents, glaring hatefully at them. "You enter my base without permission, you spy on my agents, you attack my agents, and you try to steal one of our Pokemon. I think you've done enough damage here and I want you out. Now!"_

"_Your Pokemon? You wouldn't even have that damn Eevee if we hadn't given it to you in the first place!" Selene yelled. "Do you know who we work for? Our leader will make you pay! Lord Ka—"_

"_That's enough, Selene!" Cain said sternly._

"_But…"_

"_We'll leave…for now." Cain muttered. "Besides, a Shadow Pokemon with its emotions intact could become a liability in the future. You can have it, Jake. But we will eventually return…to destroy it, if need be. And possibly you, too. Good day."_

"_What? We're just leaving?!" Selene cried._

"_We have no further business here, Selene." Cain growled. "We are leaving."_

"_Grrrr!" The blue-haired woman glared at Jake. "I'll be back to finish this one day, boy. You count on it!"_

_Turning on her heel, she exited the room with Cain. Both Cipher agents teleported back to their base in Orre, intent on reporting the flaws in breeding Shadow Pokemon._

_Gonzap sighed, turning to face Jake. "You all right, shrimp?"_

"_Yeah," Jake muttered. "I think so." Standing up, Jake never took his eyes off the wounded Eevee in his arms. 'Boss Gonzap, I want to get stronger. So that this can never happen again. How do I get stronger?"_

_Gonzap grinned. "Well, well…you've come to the right man, then. Get your Eevee healed, then come back her at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Your training starts then."_

_Jake smiled. "Thanks,"_

_Four years of training made both Jake and his Eevee stronger. During those four years, he researched everything he could about Shadow Pokemon. Discovering that Cipher had gone so far as to kill in order to gain members, his goal was formed. He didn't want Cipher to create anymore Shadow Pokemon. He would stop them, even if he had to die trying._

_On the night of his fifteenth birthday, Jake snuck out of the Team Snagem base and ran all the way to Gateon Port. As he ran, he noticed his Eevee glowing. He was evolving! The tiny gray and white fox soon became a large black fox with blue rings decorating his body. He was a Shadow Umbreon now._

_Jake smirked. "Let's do this, Umbreon! Let's take down Cipher!"_

"_Umbre!" Umbreon barked, agreeing._

_Coming to a stop at the docks of Gateon Port, he spotted a familiar face leaning against a building placed beside the dock he was supposed to take. It was his red-haired friend. Slowing his pace, Jake lowered his head. He hadn't thought of what he would tell his friend if he was caught trying to leave Team Snagem._

_The redhead pulled away from the building and stopped just in front of Jake. "You're leaving…right?" he asked._

"_Yeah," Jake nodded, not daring to make eye contact. "I'm sorry. I just have to do this."_

"_Well…" The redhead smiled. "I guess I can't stop you, buddy. Just promise you'll come back and visit one day, okay?"_

_Jake looked up and nodded at his 18 year old friend. The guy who had been with him through everything Boss Gonzap had put them through. The guy who was probably the only true friend he had ever had. His best friend. "I promise,"_

"_Bye, buddy. Good luck." The redhead was crying now as he stood aside. "Show those Cipher guys who's boss!"_

"_I will!" Jake said, trying to stop himself from crying. He had forced himself to stop crying once he joined Team Snagem. He didn't need to start now…right?_

_As he stepped onto the ship and informed the captain that he wished to go to Kanto, he was shaking. The ship pulled away from the dock and started toward Kanto just as the sun started to rise. Unable to hold it in anymore, he ran to the back of the ship and cried._

"_I WON'T FORGET YOU, BUDDY!!!" Jake cried._

_His redhead friend grinned despite his own tears. "I WON'T FORGET YOU EITHER, MAN!!"_

"_Umbre!" Umbreon howled._

_The ship sailed away toward Kanto, taking Jake and Umbreon with it. His friend ran back to Team Snagem, purposely crashing into things to make it seem like he had been in a fight. No matter how long it would take, he'd wait for Jake to come back. Until then, he would keep that night a secret from Gonzap. "I hope you burn in hell, Cipher!" the redhead growled._

_Back on the ship, Jake focused on his goal. "Cipher, run while you still can. I'll defeat and destroy you guys. I won't let you create more Shadow Pokemon just so you can use them as tools. I won't let you!"_

Zero growled, growing impatient. "I have enough of this! Mamoswine, use Shadow Ancie—"

"Houndoom, use Smog and follow up with Fire Blast!" Jake suddenly ordered, fired up with the remembrance of that time so long ago.

Black smoke instantly erupted from the devil dog's jaws, filling the entire room in minutes. Leaping forward, Houndoom unleashed a column of flame toward where Mamoswine was. A loud bellow of pain, along with a heavy thud, proved him right. Jake grabbed a Snag Ball and tossed it, capturing the mammoth.

"Two can play at that game!" Zero shouted. "Go!"

Then it got bad. Zero hadn't said the name of his next Pokemon and the thick smog prevented them from seeing it. Houndoom looked around, keeping his guard up. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

"Mud Bomb!" Zero ordered, keeping his Pokemon's name unknown.

The black smoke was just starting to clear when Jake heard his Houndoom yelp and crash to the ground. When the smog finally cleared, Houndoom was knocked out and Zero's Pokemon was revealed. A Quagsire, but not a Shadow Pokemon.

"Surprised?" Zero asked, smirking. "You should be."

"Dewgong, Ice Beam!" Lorelei shouted.

The ice crashed onto the top of Quagsire's head, making the Water/Ground-type whimper and rub its aching head. Jake quickly threw out Absol and ordered a Razor Wind. Leaping forward, the Absol used the scythe attached to the right side of his head to unleash blades of wind upon the Quagsire. Then he charged forward to use Night Slash.

"Quagsire, knock him away with your tail!" Zero cried.

Twisting around, Quagsire crashed his tail into Absol's chest and threw him backward. Crashing into the frozen mega wave behind the group, Absol slipped to the floor and lay at the base of the frozen wave. As Quagsire advanced, a few chunks of ice from the curled top of the wave fell and shattered on the ground.

Jake got an idea. "Absol, use Razor Wind on the top of the wave!"

"Sol!" Angling his glowing scythe upward, Absol launched the wind blades toward the curled top overhanging them. The blades crashed into it, shattering the entire top and sending it crashing down toward them. "Now get out of there!"

"Quagsire, stop them!" Then Zero noticed the giant ice chunks hurtling toward his Pokemon. "No, get out of there!"

Quagsire, already moving to stop the fleeing Absol, stopped in order to obey Zero's new order. Unfortunately, he took too long and the ice chunks were already boxing him in against the remaining wall of ice. Covering his head, Quagsire cried out in pain as the ice crashed on top of him. He was buried.

Shaking in rage, Zero returned his Quagsire and tossed out his Walrein. Another non-Shadow Pokemon. _This has gone on long enough!_ Zero thought. "Walrein, use Aurora Beam!"

"Absol, dodge it and use Night Slash!"

Walrein opened his mouth and unleashed a rainbow-colored beam. Absol dodged to his left and charged, tearing his claws across the Ice-type's chest. Then a ball of ice collided with his head, forcing the Dark-type to retreat. Another Ice Ball shattered at his feet. Blood tricked from his forehead.

As Walrein prepared to launch another Ice Ball, he was hit from behind by Cloyster's Spike Cannon. When he turned his attention to Cloyster, Absol struck with Razor Wind. Now angered, Walrein turned and body slammed Absol. The Dark-type limped back a few steps, getting out of range of a second Body Slam.

"Walrein, use Ice Fang on Absol!" Zero ordered.

"Dewgong, block it using Ice Beam!" Lorelei shouted.

Dewgong landed in front of Absol and attacked, managing to freeze Walrein solid. Returning Absol, Jake tossed out his Arcanine. One Flamethrower freed Walrein, knocking it out in the process.

"Grrrr!" Now Zero was really getting mad. _What's happening? This isn't going the way I want it to!_ "Shadow Empoleon, get out here and beat these losers!"

"Well, it seems these 'losers' are winning," Lorelei laughed.

Zero's final Shadow Pokemon appeared, ready to fight against the ones who took down his teammates. Arcanine snarled angrily and unleashed a Flamethrower, scorching the Water/Steel-type's wings as he moved to defend himself.

"How about trying this on for size, Zero?" Lorelei chuckled, returning both her Cloyster and Dewgong. Then she tossed out her Piloswine.

"You're a throwing out an overgrown pig?" Zero asked, on the verge of laughing. "What good will that do you?"

Lorelei smiled. "If I remember correctly, Empoleon are weak to Ground-type attacks. Tell me, can you name the attack I'm about to use?"

"W-what?" Zero started listing off all the Ground-type moves he could in his head. Unfortunately, Lorelei struck before he could answer.

"Earthquake!" she cried.

The penguin Pokemon bellowed in agony, nearly collapsing. Luckily, he managed to survive the strike…just barely, though. Arcanine stumbled backward, biting back a howl as he, too, was damaged by the attack. Seeing the Shadow Pokemon weakened, however, gave Arcanine the confidence to pull through.

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower!" Jake ordered. "Finish it off!"

"Arca…NINE!!" The flames engulfed the bird, obscuring him from view. When the flames ceased, Arcanine patiently waited.

"Metal Claw!" Zero suddenly shouted.

Three golden claws raked along the Fire-type's left shoulder, causing the canine to yelp in pain. As Empoleon moved to strike again, a load of rocks crashed down on top of him. Jake took the chance to toss his final Snag Ball, capturing it.

The raven-haired boy smiled. "Thanks, Lorelei."

"No problem. But don't let your guard down yet, Jake." Lorelei warned. "Zero still has one Pokemon left."

"Yeah, I know."

Zero was trembling with pure rage now. _Those stupid Snaggers took all three of my precious Shadow Pokemon! I won't stand by and allow them to just defeat me like this. I'll win, no matter what it takes!_ "I've had it now! Abomasnow, show these guys why messing with Cipher is something they're gonna regret for the rest of their lives!"

"Holy," Jake muttered. _He sounds really ticked off. But anger never wins you battles. He'll have to learn that the hard way._ "Arcanine, ready?"

"Arcanine nine!" the Fire-type barked, nodding. Despite being injured, he wasn't going down yet. This guy was an Ice/Grass-type. His Fire-type attacks should do four times the damage…if he could manage to hit it.

"Alright then, use—"

"Abomasnow, strike before them! Rock Smash!" Zero shouted, cutting the Snagger off.

Moving with speed Jake had never seen something that big move at before, the giant Ice/Grass-type appeared in front of Arcanine and pulled back his fist. He then hit Arcanine with a shattering punch, sending the canine crashing through what remained of the frozen mega wave and shattering it. Arcanine lay there, stunned.

"Arcanine!" Jake cried.

"Another Rock Smash, Abomasnow! Nobody humiliates a Cipher Elite Four member and lives to brag about it!" Zero shouted. "I refuse to lose!"

As Abomasnow pulled back his fist to hit Arcanine again, pain suddenly racked his large body. Bellowing in pain, he twisted and broke away from the source of the attack. Retreating back a few steps, his pink eyes glared angrily at his attacker.

"Forget about me, didn't you?" Lorelei asked, smirking. Beside her was her Lapras, the last remnants of its Thunder attack fading into sparks. "You're facing _two_ opponents, Zero. Don't get too cocky if you seem to be beating one of us. You still have another to contend with."

"Stay out of my way!" Zero demanded. "Abomasnow, knock both of Lorelei's Pokemon out! Hyper Beam!"

Opening his mouth, a blast of searing hot orange energy shot toward Lapras and Piloswine. Bracing themselves, Lorelei was quick to escape the blast and dashed to Jake's side. When the smoke cleared, Piloswine was out and Lapras was just barely conscious.

Arcanine growled, struggling to his feet. Opening his mouth, a ball of flame erupted from his jaws and crashed into Abomasnow's side. The Ice/Grass-type roared, severely injured but not out just yet. He turned his attention back to Arcanine.

"You stupid mutt…" Zero growled, clenching his fists. "Abomasnow, turn that mutt into an icicle! Ice Beam!"

"Dodge it!" Jake ordered.

But in his injured state, Arcanine was helpless against the oncoming attack. It froze him solid. Abomasnow pulled back his fist before striking, shattering the ice and sending Arcanine sailing across the gym. Skidding along the floor, the Fire-type left blood in his wake as he finally slid to a stop against the far wall. He was out.

"Arcanine, return," Jake said. Replacing the Poke Ball at his belt, he reached for Absol's when another Poke Ball burst open. His Shadow Umbreon appeared. "Umbreon, what are you doing?"

"Umbre bre!" the black canine barked.

Then Jake noticed the look in his eyes. The same look he had as an Eevee during one of their training sessions with Gonzap. Jake had been on the losing end and tried to forfeit, only for Eevee to continue fighting on his own. They lost anyway but Jake realized how determined the little fox was to become stronger.

"Are you sure, buddy?" Jake asked.

"Bre!" Umbreon nodded firmly.

"Okay," Jake shrugged. "Let's do this!"

"Abomasnow, freeze that fox like you did that mutt! Ice beam!" Zero ordered.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Panic!" Jake cried.

"Umbre!" A shadowy aura emanated from Umbreon's body, making his blue rings glow brighter. The shadows surrounded Abomasnow and began to pulsate, causing the giant to look around wildly.

"Abomasnow, break away!" Zero shouted.

Abomasnow ignored Zero, confused. Pulling back his fist to strike, he instead managed to hit himself in the face. Back up, Abomasnow glared about angrily in search of his attacker, unaware that he had hit himself. Zero slapped himself in frustration.

_He should be weak enough to take down with one hit,_ Jake thought. "Time to end this, Zero!" he declared. "Umbreon, use Shadow Rush!"

"Dodge it!" Zero ordered.

Abomasnow, still confused, ignored him once more. A dark aura surrounded Umbreon as he charged, running full speed in seconds. Leaping, he crashed head-first into Abomasnow's chest and threw him backward. Landing on the ground, the Dark-type barked triumphantly as Abomasnow crashed to the ground behind him. Zero was defeated.

"Good going, Jake!" Lorelei said. "We defeated the first of the Cipher Elite 4."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Lorelei." Jake admitted, looking away. "Well, now what do we do?"

"I suggest we return to the others back outside the door." Lorelei replied.

"Sure, why not?" the raven-haired boy shrugged. "Umbreon, come back!"

"Umbre!" The Dark-type turned and started walking back…only to have a foot smash down on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "Umbre bre!" he cried in alarm.

"Huh?" Jake turned back and gasped. "Umbreon! Zero, get off of him!"

Zero was shaking in hatred as he pinned the canine under his foot. Kneeling down, he started to hit Umbreon's head. "I won't lose! I refuse! I'm supposed to win this battle, not you losers! Me! I'm in it to win it! You can't make me lose!"

"Get…OFF!!" Jake yelled.

The raven-haired Snagger tackled Zero, throwing him off of Umbreon and sending both boys tumbling across the gym floor. Finally managed to pin his upper arms down, Jake glared at Zero. "What was that for?! You lost, Zero! The match is over!"

"Maybe for you, but not for me!" Zero growled. "I'm supposed to be the best! I've never lost, not once! I've always won, always! I refuse to lose now!"

"Well, accept it! You lost, Zero!" Jake barked.

"No!"

"Were you so desperate to win that you had to hurt both Umbreon and Houndoom?" Jake demanded. "Answer me!"

"They're just Pokemon," Zero replied, giggling madly. "All they are is tools that we use for battle. Who cares if they have emotions or hearts? Once they become Shadow Pokemon, they won't have them anymore. Winning is everything, Jake. Don't you agree?"

"No, I don't agree. I especially don't agree with lowlifes like you who would injure, maybe even kill, your opponent's Pokemon just so you can win!" Jake shouted. "I hate those kinds of people!"

"I know that, deep down, you agree with me." Zero continued. "Everyone wants to win every battle. Losing only proves who worthless your efforts to get stronger truly were. I refuse to become worthless!"

"Shut up!" Jake punched Zero as hard as he could, shattering the blue-haired boy's sunglasses.

"So, you do agree with me?"

Jake punched him again, splitting Zero's lip. "I said shut up! Winning doesn't mean everything! Losing lets you figure out your weak points so you can improve in the future! Winning everything allows you to learn nothing! Losing doesn't mean the end of the world, Zero!"

"Sure it does. I'm sure that was true for you once, too." Zero said, ignoring the blood running down his chin. "When you were in Team Snagem, you wanted to win all the time. Right? Winning meant promotions, a pay increase, and better Pokemon. What did losing get you?"

"Shut up," Jake said.

"Well? Did Gonzap punish you, Jake?" Zero asked. "I'm sure he did. You hated it, right? Everyone does. And when do you get punished? When you lose or fail at something."

"Shut up,"

"You see, you and I are very much alike. All we want is to avoid being punished." Zero continued. "In order to avoid that, we must win…at any cost. Sure, a few dead Pokemon would dirty our hands but it would get the job done. Besides, what nobody else doesn't know won't hurt them. Am I right so far, Ja—"

"SHUT UP!!" Jake shouted, pulling back his fist. "I'm sick of hearing your whiny voice telling me what I already know! You and I are _nothing_ alike! You're evil! I'm not! Nothing's going to change that! I'm going to take down Cipher, even if it means killing all of you first!"

Zero screamed as the fist descended on him, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing for the hit. Jake, rage fueling him, forced his fist forward like a rocket. Only inches away…

"Jake, stop!"

A hand snatched his wrist, pulling it to a stop before he could hit Zero. Looking up, Jake saw that it was Lorelei. The Elite 4 member glared at him.

"Jake, look what you're doing." she ordered. "You're acting like them. Right now, you're no better than Zero was a few minutes ago. Look at him, Jake. Look at what you've done."

Jake silently obeyed and looked down at Zero. The blue-haired boy was trembling, tears threatening to fall from his closed eyes. Blood ran from his nose and mouth. He had probably knocked out a tooth or two, though he probably hadn't broken his nose. Zero looked a complete and utter mess.

Getting up, Jake stepped away from Zero. "Get out of here, Zero. We're through here."

"Huh?" Zero opened his eyes and saw Jake walking away. Scrambling to his feet, the older boy grabbed his teleporting device and got ready to teleport away. 'This isn't over, Jake! I'll beat you one day soon! I promise!"

"Get out of here before I finish what I started!" Jake yelled.

"Eep!" Pressing the button, Zero was quickly teleported away. He was gone.

Returning Umbreon, he looked up at Lorelei guiltily. "Sorry," he muttered. "I got carried away. I didn't mean what I said, about killing everyone in Cipher. I was just…"

"Angry?" Lorelei finished for him.

"Yeah," Jake nodded.

"Apology accepted, Jake. Just watch your temper next time." Lorelei warned. "You could've really hurt Zero. We're only here to defeat the Cipher Elite 4 and take their Shadow Pokemon. Not beat them up."

"Sorry," Jake repeated.

"Let's just go and join up with the others at the door." Lorelei said. "All we can do now is pray that everyone else can defeat their opponents."

"Yeah,"

Jake and Lorelei exited the room, leaving behind the shattered remains of the frozen mega wave, chunks of ice from the Ice Beam attacks, and blood. Walking down the stairs, the pair never noticed a pitch black shadow race past them as it sped up to the third floor…where KC and Bruno were fighting against Cole.

_Pallet Town…_

They at last managed to get back to Kanto. Hopping off of Lapras, Mist returned her and leaned against Brad as the trio traveled inland. Freeze eventually pointed out what looked like a small town of some sort. Mist smirked.

"Looks like we're in Pallet Town, where the legendary Prof. Oak lives." The white-haired psychic groaned, his shoulder throbbing from the injury Dart gave him not long ago.

_So, we're finally back on land. Hmmm?_ Freeze went silent, hoping Mist wasn't listening to his thoughts again.

The last time Freeze had come to Pallet Town, he had been with Molt. He still remembered that mission very well. They were to capture Prof. Oak and bring him back to the Cipher island base.

_That girl, Leena, got in the way, though…_ Freeze remembered.

Everything that had happened to him over this period of time started here in Pallet. It was ironic that the very man Freeze had tried to capture not long ago was now their only hope of finding the Snaggers.

_There is no one else who knows where they are but him,_ Freeze thought. _I just hope he doesn't recognize me._

"Hey, guys! The lab is just up ahead!" Brad pointed out.

"Now what do we do?" Mist asked. "If Prof. Oak is here, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll have all three of us arrested. We'll have to talk fast if we want to help Mark and the Snaggers."

"Agreed," Freeze nodded.

Brad reached out and knocked on the door to the lab. "Coming!" a voice from within cried. The door suddenly opened and Tracy stood in the doorway. "Sorry for the wait! I just got back from Tangelo Island and I…"

"Could you tell us if Prof. Oak is home?" Mist asked.

"Uh, I'm afraid not." Tracy replied. "He's at Tangelo Island with Prof. Ivy. Do I know you guys from somewhere? You look awfully familiar."

"It's nothing you should be worried about." Mist replied. "Do you happen to know where the Snaggers are? We're friends of theirs and we wish to help them."

"Uh…how do you guys know Mark?" Tracy asked. _Something seems odd about this. Just who are these guys?_

"I've battled him in the past," Mist admitted. "My two friends here wish to meet him. We all have something against Cipher and wish to assist the Snaggers in taking them down."

"Oh, okay." Then Tracy noticed Mist's injury. "You're hurt! What happened? Oh, pardon me! Please, come in."

"Thanks," Freeze replied. The trio entered the living room and sat down on the couch. As Tracy rushed off to find the first aid kit, Freeze turned to his companions. "What do we do now? Prof. Oak isn't here and this guy probably knows who we are!"

"I read his thoughts while he was babbling," Mist replied. "He vaguely remembers seeing or hearing about us from somewhere but he doesn't quite remember. We're in no danger, since he doesn't suspect us of being related to Cipher at all."

"Wow! That's lucky!" Brad said.

"Stupid mind reader…" Freeze grumbled.

Tracy returned and set the first aid kit down. "I've got plenty of bandages and peroxide to clean the wound. What happened?"

"I was attacked by a Cipher Gym Leader named Dart. It seemed I was poking my nose into where it wasn't wanted and he caught me." _It's not entirely a lie,_ Mist thought. _Just entirely the truth, either._

"We were with him," Freeze added. "We drove Dart off after he attacked our buddy here. We're all Pokemon trainers, so it wasn't too hard."

"Well, you're all brave. I'll give you that much credit." Tracy said. He was tying the bandages around the wound, having applied peroxide earlier. "But are you so sure that you want to become Snaggers?"

"Absolutely!" Freeze cried. "I've got a score to settle with someone in Cipher and I can't beat her at my current level. I've heard the Snaggers are powerful. I want to be stronger!"

"That strength is gained at a price," Tracy pointed out. "They're constantly being targeted by Cipher minions. They have to battle every single day with little time for rest."

"We can handle it!" Brad insisted. "Just tell us where they are, please! My brothers, Luffy and KC, are with them!"

"Wait a second! You're Luffy and KC's brother?" Tracy asked. "Luffy mentioned meeting you once. Brad, am I right?"

"Yep, that's me!" Brad nodded. "I want to see my brothers again! Please tell us where they are!"

"Well…" Tracy sighed. He finished the last knot on Mist's bandages and sat up. "Alright, I give. You three seem trustworthy enough. They're at the Indigo Plateau currently."

"Have they already engaged in battle with the Cipher Elite 4?" Mist demanded.

"How do you know about that?" Tracy asked.

"It was one of the things I poked my nose into," Mist said.

"Anyway, yes. They've already begun to fight against the Cipher Elite 4." Tracy replied. "I've gotten no results, though, so I don't know how they're doing. You'll have to move fast if you want to catch up with them."

"We will," Freeze said. "We'll leave right now."

"Are you sure? Your friend's injuries are still pretty serious." Tracy argued.

"I've had worse injuries than this before." Mist replied, standing up. "We should get moving. Thank you very much for your time and care. We greatly appreciate it."

"O-okay," Tracy followed them and stood in the doorway as the trio headed for Route 1. "Good luck, you guys! You'll need it!"

"We'll need more than luck," Mist muttered.

"Thanks!" Brad cried, waving.

"See you around, Tracy!" Freeze called.

Tracy waved goodbye as the three boys vanished into Route 1. Then something hit him. _How did that boy know my name?!_

Mist sighed and shook his head. You've just made him suspicious, you know."

"So what?" Freeze replied. "We know where Mark and the others are now. Let's just get there!"

"We can't go to the Indigo Plateau, though." Mist pointed out. "The Snaggers are already fighting them. We'll wait at Tohjo Falls for them. They'll have to pass through there if they wish to enter Johto."

"Oh yeah," Freeze muttered. "Off to Tohjo Falls we go!"

"But how do we get there?" Brad asked. "Do any of us have a Flying-type Pokemon?"

"Who needs to fly when we can teleport?" Freeze asked, pulling out his teleporting device. "Hang on, guys!"

Focusing on the image of Tohjo Falls in his mind, he pressed the button. In seconds, the three boys vanished from Route 1 and were hurtled through space to Tohjo Falls. Unfortunately, they didn't know they had been watched.

Mimzy stepped out from behind a tree and frowned. "Awww! So Dart _was_ right. They really did betray us. Oh well…good luck." She teleported away to report the confirmation of Mist, Freeze, and Brad's betrayal to the boss.

**Next Chapter:** The Lives of Friends

KC struggled to his feet, his entire body aching from the bruises gained from Cole's Shadow Golem and Shadow Machamp. There was no way he could have survived that last attack had Darkrai not…

"Oh no," he whispered. "Darkrai!"

Getting up, he crawled out of the crater made from Shadow Golem's earlier explosion. Looking around, he noticed something in another crater nearby. Sliding down into it, he fell to his knees beside the Dark-type Legendary. Darkrai was injured and could barely move anymore.

"Darkrai," KC said. "I'm so sorry."

Darkrai groaned, struggling to get up. Then KC realized why. Cole was perched on the edge of the crater, smirking. "Well, lookie what I have here. The Legendary Darkrai. I'll get a big promotion for sure if I capture him."

"No," KC growled. Standing up, he stood between Darkrai and Cole. "I won't let you catch Darkrai!"

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Wahoo! Finally done with this chapter at long last! Yes! Sorry for the delay, guys. Not much left to say except please review! Thank you!


	37. Chapter 37: The Lives of Friends

I'm glad you all liked the chapter despite how late it was. Testing at school is over with now, so I can get back to updating regularly again. Hooray! *does happy dance*

Now to answer Ketchum Kid's question. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver (the new Gold and Silver remakes) are indeed re-visitations to Johto, but I'm probably still going to stick with the Gold/Silver/Crystal plotline. If they have a new Elite 4 in the new games, I might use them but other than that, I'll stick to my original plan.

X, your character is accepted. I'll need to do a bit more research into her weapons, though. And as far as I'm concerned, America doesn't exist in the Pokemon world (even if they mentioned real world places in the games, like South America and stuff). I'll probably have her show up near the beginning of the team's journey through Johto or maybe in the Orange Islands.

And zephyr51, Ryo is also accepted. Just like with X, I'll probably have him pop up in the beginning of Johto or in the Sevii Islands. My concern currently is finishing the Elite 4 and Champion battles, along with a few extras before I get started on Johto.

Anyway, this is the Cole battle and the second of the Cipher Elite 4 fights. I hope you enjoy it, everyone! Onto the story!

Chapter 37: The Lives of Friends

KC groaned, hauling himself back up to his feet. Bruno looked at him before nodding. KC nodded back and made his way to Blastoise. "You okay, buddy?"

"Blast," the Water-type nodded. Getting back up, the turtle glared at Golem and readied his water cannons.

"You guys are pretty determined if you bothered getting back up after that attack." Cole commented. "But you're also pretty foolish, too. Golem, use Shadow Rollout!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" KC ordered.

Golem curled back into a tight ball and started rolling, increasing speed at a fast rate. He started rolling toward KC and Bruno, intent on running them over. Blastoise, placing himself in front of his trainer, aimed his cannons at the oncoming Rock-type and unleashed gallons of water upon it.

Little by little, Golem started to slow down as it was repelled by the pressurized water hitting it. Finally, only a good five feet from them, Golem was forced into a halt. Still curled up, Golem prepared to use Rollout again.

Bruno smirked. "Onix, use Iron Tail!"

Blastoise stepped aside, ending his attack as the giant rock snake descended upon Golem. Pulling back his glowing tail, Onix crashed it into the underside of the curled-up Golem and sent it flying up into the ceiling. A second Iron Tail crashed Golem into the back wall behind Cole.

"Great job, Bruno!" KC complimented.

"You're the one who slowed him down, KC. If you hadn't, Onix would have never hit Golem." Bruno pointed out.

"You really are a muscle-head, aren't you?" Cole laughed. "You think a little water and being tossed around by an Onix would beat my Golem? Think again!"

Golem uncurled and got back up, returning to Cole's side. Its body was covered in scratches and dents, but it was relatively unharmed. The Rock-type grinned triumphantly.

"No way," KC muttered. "We barely even hurt it!"

"Golem are well-known for their endurance, as well as being capable of taking quite a lot of damage before going down." Bruno said. "We're in for a long fight against this guy."

"Yeah," KC nodded. _I should've guessed. This guy isn't one of those Gym Leaders, he's an Elite 4 member! Of course he was going to be hard to beat. I just hope everyone else is having a better time than we are. Stupid Golems…_

"Since this is a 2-on-1 battle, how about we even it out?" Cole asked, grabbing another Poke Ball from his belt. "Go, Shadow Machamp!"

The four-armed Fighting-type appeared, flexing its muscled arms. Growling, it stood alongside Golem. Cole smirked and simply pointed at his opponents. Machamp took off in a flash, reappearing in front of Blastoise. Golem started rolling in circles around Onix, tightening them with each round.

"Machamp, use Shadow Toss!" Cole ordered.

Machamp nodded and grabbed Blastoise on the edge of his shell, hauling him off the ground and into the air above the Fighting-type's head. Trembling, Machamp turned and threw Blastoise as hard as it possibly could toward Bruno and KC.

"Onix!" Bruno shouted.

"I don't think so, muscle-head. Golem!" Cole shouted, smirking. "Shadow Self-destruct!"

"Onix, Roar!" Bruno called.

"Bruno, look out!" KC cried, grabbing the older Elite 4 member and pulling him to the ground just in time to dodge Blastoise. "Blastoise, are you okay?!"

"Get down!" Bruno growled, forcing KC down to the floor.

Golem was glowing a brilliant purple, ready to explode. Onix, having escaped the circles by roaring at the Rock-type, curled his hard body above the two trainers in an effort to protect them. Shadow Machamp, coming up with a new plan, picked up the glowing Golem and threw it directly at Onix.

The explosion shook the whole arena, the floor instantly cracking as a huge crater formed where Golem had landed. Onix was knocked out while both Bruno and KC had slid into the crater. Returning his Onix, he threw out Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.

"You guys are still going to fight?" Cole asked. "I was sure that explosion would've knocked you two out, too. Maybe it was that Onix that stopped that from happening. Either way, what happens is what happens."

KC returned Blastoise, catching Golem in a Snag Ball in the process. Unleashing Bulbasaur, he looked around. "Bruno, where did that Machamp go?"

"I don't know," Bruno replied. "Be careful."

_Wait for it…wait for it…now!_ "Machamp, come out!" Cole ordered.

The ground exploded from behind KC as a pair of dark gray arms caught him. He yelped, struggling immediately. "Bulbasaur! Bruno!"

"KC!" Bruno turned to his own Pokemon. "Get KC loose but don't hurt him."

"Chan!"

"Lee!"

The pair struck, using Mega Punches and Mega Kicks on the Shadow Pokemon's back. Machamp grunted but ignored them, already walking toward the edge of the crater to return to its master. Cole smirked.

"So, you must be that kid's little brother. Luffy's your brother, right?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?!" KC growled.

"Blazer told me about your connections to a certain Dark-type Legendary." Cole replied. "Cipher's goal is to capture all of the Legendaries and turn them into Shadow Pokemon. We can't do that if we have even one Legendary missing."

"I'm not gonna let you hurt Darkrai!" KC shouted.

Cole smiled. "Darkrai is known to guard those who are kind to it throughout their whole lives. I've heard that your mother, Vivian, protected it from capture long ago. But why is it protecting you? What have you done to gain its favor?"

_Dad,_ KC thought. A memory flashed through his head, one he couldn't remember having. It was from the night his mother died, when he was still very ill.

_A young KC stumbled through the halls of the house, clutching his blanket and sucking his thumb. He was sniffling, tears running down his face. His mom had died today. His older brother had ordered him to go to bed because he was sick, but KC felt like ignoring him. He wanted to see dad._

_Stopping outside of his dad's room, he was about to open the door when he heard voices. His dad's was one of them but the other was…dark and cold. KC shivered and opened the door a crack. What he saw was something he would never forget._

_His father was on his knees, crying and begging. "Please! You protected my wife as best you could and I need you to do the same for my sons. I lost Vivian, I can't lose my boys, too! I'm begging you!"_

_Floating in front of his father was what looked like a black shadow with long white hair and a single blue eye. KC recognized it from a picture book Luffy once read to him. The creature of nightmares…Darkrai._

_Darkrai said nothing, allowing the man to cry and beg. Finally, the man said something to catch its attention._

"_I'll do anything you want, Darkrai. You can give me as many nightmares as you wish, just please! Please help them!"_

_Darkrai thought it over before deciding. Then it nodded._

"_Thank you so much! I owe you my life, Darkrai!"_

_Darkrai nodded and phased through the floor, becoming one with the shadows and vanishing. KC finally opened the door and confronted his dad. The only thing his dad did was hug him and cry, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over._

"Well?" Cole asked. "If you won't answer my questions, I'll just bring you back to base and have you interrogated."

"I'm not telling you anything." KC growled. "And I never will."

"Man, you kids are so stubborn!" Cole complained. "Machamp, hurry and get up here. We're taking that brat back to base with us!"

"What?!" KC cried.

"KC!" Bruno shouted. "Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, hit him with all you've got!"

"Chan!"

"Lee!"

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" KC cried.

Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee started striking harder and faster, trying to stop the Shadow Pokemon in its tracks. Sharp leaves struck its back, leaving deep cuts that oozed blood. Machamp, growing tired of the attacks, use its second set of arms to grab Hitmonchan's arm and Hitmonlee's leg. Then it threw them as far as it could on either side, Hitmonlee crashing into Bulbasaur in the process.

"Let go of me!" KC cried. _Blazer nearly kidnapped Luffy once. I can't let them kidnap me!_

"All right, buddy. Let's go. Muscle-head isn't worth fighting anymore." Cole reached out a hand to grab KC, teleportation device already in his hand.

_DARK VOID!!_

"Shoot!" Cole jumped aside, dodging the black energy balls.

Machamp, spooked by the sudden assault, dropped KC and was hit with one of the energy balls. Crashing to the ground, it was unconscious. KC caught it with a Snag Ball and stood up, smiling. "Two down, four to go!"

"So, I was right. Darkrai really does protect you." Cole said. "Too bad it won't be for much longer. Go, Shadow Monferno!"

The Fire/Fighting-type monkey Pokemon appeared, hooting in excitement. Monferno jumped from one foot to the other, tail flame growing larger with each jump. Clapping its hands, the monkey ceased its jumping and fell into an attack stance.

"Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, get ready." Bruno ordered.

"Chan!"

"Lee!"

"Bulbasaur, you too!" KC said.

"Monferno, Shadow Fire!" Cole cried. "We're not letting these guys win!"

"Mon…FERNO!!" Black flames erupted from Monferno's mouth, scorching the ground in seconds.

"Hitmonchan, Sky Uppercut! Hitmonlee, Rock Slide!"

"Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam to keep those flames away from us!" KC ordered.

Hitmonchan quickly dodged around the flames and struck the Shadow Pokemon under the chin, sending the monkey soaring into the air. The moment he hit the ground again, Hitmonlee tossed giant rocks on top of him. In moments, Monferno was buried under a mountain of rocks.

Bulbasaur, finally gathering enough light, fired off a Solar Beam to disperse any flames that were traveling in their direction. Darkrai floated back a bit, waiting to defend KC should the Cipher Elite 4 member try something.

Cole sighed. "Man, these Pokemon are pretty useless. Good thing they're pretty good with endurance. Monferno, use Shadow Combat and follow up with Shadow Mach Punch!"

The rocks shifted slightly as Monferno struggled to free himself. A few rocks fell away but the mountain refused to fall. After a few seconds, the shaking ended altogether.

"It seems your third Pokemon has been defeated," Bruno corrected.

"Oh, really? Guess again!" Cole smirked.

The rocks suddenly started shaking even harder until they all slid away, most cracking into smaller rocks upon impact with the ground. Once the dust cleared, Shadow Monferno stood there with few injuries. Leaping from the rocks, its fist was engulfed in black light as it struck Bulbasaur head-on. The Grass-type struggled to rise again.

"Hitmonchan, Sky Uppercut!" Bruno called.

"Dodge it and use Shadow Rush!"

Hitmonchan attempted to punch the monkey's jaw, only to have Monferno leap away. The monkey hit the ground for a second before leaping again, crashing into Hitmonchan's chest. Sending the punching Pokemon flying, Monferno turned its attention back to Bulbasaur.

"Finish him off, Monferno! Shadow Fire!"

"Oh no, you don't! Bulbasaur, return!" KC cried. The Poke Ball quickly recaptured the Grass-type, preventing the flames from hitting it. "Go, Rotom!"

"Well now, you're full of surprises." Cole commented. "Excellent. Monferno, take down that Hitmonlee with Shadow Rush and then use Shadow Fire on Rotom."

"Hitmonlee, jump!" Bruno shouted.

Monferno pounced, aiming for the kicking Pokemon's chest. Once he got close enough, Hitmonlee jumped high into the air and watched as Monferno shot beneath him. Then Hitmonlee struck, kicking the monkey straight into the ground with a Mega Kick. He added in Earthquake once Monferno hit the ground, damaging the monkey even further.

Monferno struggled to sit up, blood running from the corner of its mouth. Small wisps of smoke floated up from the monkey's mouth, signaling the fire it had been preparing had been extinguished. Rotom floated above the nearly-unconscious Monferno, awaiting orders.

"Rotom, use Thundershock."

The electricity shot through the monkey's body, knocking Monferno out instantly. KC tossed his third Snag Ball, capturing it.

Cole groaned. "You guys are being pretty rough on me. Not that I can blame you." _One Shadow Pokemon left and two normal Pokemon. Rats! At least I can end this with a bang…_ "I'll save my last Shadow Pokemon for later. Go, Hitmontop!"

The Hitmontop was obviously a normal Pokemon, forcing KC to put away his final Snag Ball. Spinning playfully on its head, the Fighting-type snapped to attention the moment Cole whistled.

"Hitmonchan, return." Bruno said. "Hitmonlee, use Rock Slide!"

"Rotom, use Thundershock!" KC ordered.

"Hitmontop, use Rapid Spin and Rolling Kick!" Cole cried.

Hitmontop started to spin on its head at a fast rate, its Rapid Spin tossing away any rocks that hit it. The electricity bent around its spinning form, unable to hit Hitmontop with the speed it was moving at. Once the rocks and electricity vanished, Hitmontop spun toward Hitmonlee and lashed out with its feet. Hitmonlee crossed his arms, defending himself.

"Hitmontop, use Gyro Ball!"

"Hitmonlee, counter with Mega Kick!"

"Rotom, use Thundershock!"

Hitmontop pulled back, spinning even faster before striking again. Hitmonlee, better prepared now, fought back with his powerful Mega Kick and managed to knock it away from him. Rotom unleashed more electricity, successfully hitting Hitmontop. But Hitmontop struck again with Gyro Ball, now made more dangerous thanks to the electricity shooting across the sphere's surface.

Hitmontop crashed into both Hitmonlee and Rotom, knocking them both out. As it slowed to a stop, Hitmontop swayed from the aftereffects of being electrocuted. Bruno and KC returned their Pokemon, throwing out Machamp and Charizard.

"We're nearly done her, KC. Just a bit further," Bruno muttered.

"Yeah, I know." KC agreed. "Charizard, use Overheat!"

"Machamp, use Brick Break!"

Hitmontop quickly dodged around Machamp's punches, only to be fried moments later by Charizard. Stumbling about, Hitmontop finally collapsed and was knocked out.

"Return, Hitmontop." Cole grumbled. "Might as well waste him now. My last Pokemon will end this whether I win or lose, anyway. Go, Shadow Croagunk!"

"Be careful, KC. I have a feeling this is his strongest Pokemon." Bruno warned.

"You're right, I can tell." KC nodded. "Charizard, use Overheat!"

"Machamp, use Rock Slide!"

"Croagunk, dodge and use Shadow Jab." Cole ordered.

The frog quickly ducked, avoiding the flames that would've no doubt caused it a lot of damage. Then it started striking the rocks with its poisonous fingers, shattering them all into pebbles. Nodding to Cole, Croagunk launched itself into the air with a powerful leap.

"Now what's it doing?" KC wondered.

"Ending this battle," Cole replied. "It looks like I don't have to use my last Pokemon after all. Croagunk will end it all right here. Shadow Focus Blast!"

"KC!" Bruno shouted.

Croagunk shot toward the ground in front of them, its body enveloped in a black aura. The moment it hit the ground, the arena floor exploded from the force of it. Crossing his arms in front of his face, he realized that some large pieces of the gym floor were aimed right at him.

As the heavy wind, filled with dust, threatened to throw him off his feet and allow the debris to crush him, a shadow appeared in front of him. Darkrai summoned a Shadow Ball and destroyed the rubble, only to be struck by Croagunk's Shadow Jab. Targeting KC next, Croagunk charged just as the wind grew stronger. Darkrai reappeared beside KC and shoved him, taking the attack upon itself.

The raven-haired boy started tumbling down, banging his head and back on debris as he rolled. Finally coming to a stop, he coughed and was about to get up when debris from above crashed around him. Curling up in a ball, KC waited for the debris to stop falling. When it did, the 13 year old finally looked around.

"This is that crater Golem made," he realized.

KC struggled to his feet, his entire body aching from the bruises gained from Cole's Shadow Golem and Shadow Machamp. There was no way he could have survived that last attack had Darkrai not…

"Oh no," he whispered. "Darkrai!"

Getting up, he crawled out of the crater made from Shadow Golem's earlier explosion. Looking around, he noticed something in another crater nearby. Sliding down into it, he fell to his knees beside the Dark-type Legendary. Darkrai was injured and could barely move anymore.

"Darkrai," KC said. "I'm so sorry."

Darkrai groaned, struggling to get up. Then KC realized why. Cole was perched on the edge of the crater, smirking. "Well, lookie what I have here. The Legendary Darkrai. I'll get a big promotion for sure if I capture him."

"No," KC growled. Standing up, he stood between Darkrai and Cole. "I won't let you catch Darkrai!"

"Try and stop me." Cole dared. "Croagunk, use—huh?"

KC then realized the problem. Croagunk was gone. _Where is it? Oh man…_ KC looked at the ground nervously, remembering how Machamp had come out of the ground to attack him. Croagunk might be using the same attack method.

"CROAG!!"

"Croagunk?!" Cole called, searching for the Shadow Pokemon. "Where are you?!"

"Dragonbreath," a voice ordered.

Croagunk jumped out from another nearby crater, running away from a Steelix. Perched on the Steelix's head…was Bruno. Cole glared angrily before tossing out hit final Poke Ball. A Golem appeared, this one being normal.

"That's your last Pokemon, Bruno. Say goodbye!" Cole laughed. "Explosion!"

Bruno frowned. "Maybe," he said. "But KC won't be defeating you alone. I finally figured out the mysterious bit in the warning."

The Golem exploded, knocking Steelix out instantly. Bruno fell into the crater, defeated.

Cole growled. _Figured out what, Bruno? What mysterious bit in the warning? Could it be…no! How can you figure out who that is when there are eight other kids waiting beyond that door?! He has to be bluffing…_

KC, spotting his unconscious Charizard nearby, returned him. _I can't let him catch Darkrai. I won't let him!_

Cole smirked. "Now with Bruno out of the way, all I need to do is finish you off and capture Darkrai. Make this easy and give up already, kid. You can't win now."

"I won't let you guys turn Darkrai into a Shadow Pokemon." KC said.

"I'm not giving you a choice. Move aside or else,"

"Then I choose 'or else', Cole."

"You're stubborn. Too stubborn," Cole grumbled. "Croagunk, we're doing this the hard way. I was going to bring him back and interrogate him. Now I don't really care anymore. It's a free-for-all, kills allowed."

Croagunk grinned, its poisonous fingers glowing a brilliant purple. Leaping into the crater, it charged. KC stayed where he was. _I won't let you hurt Darkrai!!_

_Outside of the Pokemon League building…_

Alex sighed, sitting down in the grass. Only moments ago, Lorelei and Jake had returned from their battle in victory. The other Snaggers were doing whatever they could to keep occupied. Alex was bored. _I hope Mark and the others are okay. Especially KC…_ She blushed at the thought.

_Is something wrong, Alex?_

"Huh?" Alex turned to see Snow floating beside her. The albino Mew peered at her curiously. "I'm fine. Just thinking about how everyone else is doing in there."

_You're worried about him,_ Snow said telepathically.

"Who? I'm worried about everyone." Alex said.

_You know who, Alex,_ Snow giggled. _The boy saved you in Cerulean Gym. The boy who stood out in the rain with you during the fair. The boy who you've fallen for so hard that you can't keep your mind off of him._

"A-and that would be…?"

_KC! And I know you knew who I was talking about. You stuttered at first._

"Sh-shut up!" Alex barked. "That doesn't mean anything!"

_Oh, yes it—huh?_ Snow landed on the ground, blinking curiously.

"Uh, Snow? Earth to Snow. Are you okay?" The blue-haired girl waved a hand in front of the Legendary's face. "Snow?"

"What's wrong?" Roen asked, noticing the fight between the pair.

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "Snow just froze up. She won't talk to me."

"That's weird." Roen sat down on the other side of Snow, loosening his grip on the Pokemon Egg he had received from Battonage just the other day. "Maybe she's sick."

"She was fine a minute ago, Roen. There's no way she could get sick this fast." Alex argued.

"Hey, it was just an idea!" Roen whined, holding up his hands in surrender. Quickly snatching up his egg before it fell from his lap, he stroked the shell. "I wonder what it will hatch into?"

"How should I know?" Alex asked, glancing at the Mew in concern.

"Why did our enemy give me an egg, anyway? It seems pretty odd."

"You got that right," Alex agreed.

"No matter what, though, I'll take good care of this egg." Roen declared.

Suddenly, Snow snapped back into attention. _We have to go back to the barrier,_ she whispered. _The warning is calling._

"What?" Roen asked.

"Right! Guys, get over here!" Alex cried. "Snow says we need to go to the barrier!"

The group headed back inside and stopped in front of the barrier preventing them from assisting their friends. Luffy pointed to the warning carved into the steel door. "The warning changed!"

"But why?" Ookami asked.

"Something must've happened," Ryan muttered. "Something drastic enough that the rules had to be changed. But what?"

"It says," Blacky said. "_…Beyond this door lay four strong trainers. Beware their power and wrath when challenged. Three to take on weaklings, one to defeat the strong. Together, they battle to defend their goals. Past the barrier and the key, only four challengers shall pass. The originals and the challengers, four of each will go. But in dire situations, a fifth challenger will go through and a clone will fight its original. The spirits of the dead can protect you no longer._"

"The numbers changed," Zack noted. "There were five before. Now there are four. And what's this about a clone?"

"It must've been changed since Lorelei and I defeated Zero," Jake replied. "There are only four enemies left. But the clone part makes no sense."

_The fifth must go through now,_ Snow said. _The second is in trouble and needs the sixth's help. The clone shall assist the fifth in his battle._

"The second…?" Then it hit Alex. "KC…"

"Hang on! Did something happen to KC?!" Luffy demanded.

_That, I do not know. But he needs help…before it is too late and another Legendary falls into the darkness,_ Anna said, appearing by Snow's side. _The most precious person to the second must go to his aide._

"That's it! I'm going!" Luffy stepped forward…only to be thrown backward by the barrier. "What the? What's going on?!"

_Though you are indeed precious to the second, there is another who is more needed than you. And I'm sure that person knows who they are,_ Anna replied.

Alex clutched the front of her shirt, her heart pounding. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and nodded. "I'll go,"

"What? Alex?!" Luffy yelped. "You're kidding!"

Alex ignored him and stepped forward, passing partway through the barrier. Luffy quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Luffy, let go." Alex growled.

"Look, I don't get any of this!" Luffy said. "Why should you go and not me?"

"Because I love him!" Alex shouted.

Luffy and the others fell silent. Anna smiled.

"I love KC, Luffy. Sure, it took me a while to figure it out but I understand now. It explains everything KC's done fore me so far." Alex said. "KC needs me now. For a long time, I thought nobody needed me. Then Prof. Oak and Gary became my friends. And, once this whole crazy journey started, Mark became my friend. One by one, I gained more and more friends. I was so happy."

"Alex…" Luffy whispered.

"Now I finally have a chance to protect the people I care about! I'm going to help KC, Luffy. I'm not going to let you stop me. Now let go!" Alex shouted.

Luffy slowly smiled. "Okay," He let go of her arm. "I knew for quite a while that KC loved you. Now I know that his feelings can be returned. You take care of my little brother, okay?"

"I don't think he needs 'taking care of', Luffy." Alex replied. "He just needs a bit of help. Thanks,"

"See you,"

Alex took off running, Sneasel at her heels. Luffy just stood there on the other side of the barrier, smiling. _You go get him, Alex…I know you can._

_On the third floor, Bruno's arena…_

Croagunk smirked, raising its glowing poisonous finger. KC was on the ground, coughing. _This guy's tough,_ he thought. _But, no matter what, I can't let him win!_

Cole walked down into the crater, a grin nearly cutting his face in two. "You going to give up now, kid? Croagunk isn't afraid to kill, you know."

KC struggled to sit up, coughing. Blood ran down his chin from where Croagunk had punched him only moments ago. "I…won't…lose…"

"Fine," Cole said. "Your life, kid. Croagunk, finish it."

"Croag," Croagunk nodded. It raised its poisonous finger before striking, aiming for KC's throat.

"Shadow Claw!" a voice cried.

"Huh?" Cole looked up just in time to see a flash of blue crash into Croagunk, throwing the frog aside. The blur revealed itself to be a Sneasel. "What's going on here?!"

"KC! Are you okay?"

KC looked up and smiled. "Alex,"

Alex raced down the crater wall and skidded to a stop by KC's side. "KC, what happened to you?" Alex demanded. "Oh no, Darkrai!"

"Great," Cole grumbled. "Another brat. Croagunk, use Shadow Jab and kill them both!"

"Sneasel, use Ice Beam and follow up with Shadow Claw!" Alex ordered.

Sneasel shot a column of ice from his mouth, freezing the frog solid. Then he started slashing at the ice viciously with his claws. After a few seconds, the ice shattered but Sneasel kept up his assault. Croagunk struggled to free itself but Sneasel gave it no openings.

"Croagunk, jump away!" Cole shouted.

The Poison/Fighting-type finally managed to escape, leaping into the air and landing by Cole's side. It was bleeding from a multitude of deep cuts on its body, panting heavily. Cole growled and grabbed a Full Restore, using it on his final Pokemon.

Sneasel growled, readying his claws. Suddenly, his body started glowing a brilliant white.

"Sneasel!" Alex cried.

"He's evolving?" KC asked.

Sneasel glanced back at his trainer before glaring angrily at Croagunk. Then the Ice/Dark-type smiled. "Sneasel sneas sneas! Sneas?"

Alex smiled. "Do whatever you want, buddy," she replied. "You can choose not to evolve if you want. I'll love you no matter what."

"Sneas!" Instead of resisting the glow, Sneasel allowed it to consume him! His shape changed as he evolved into a new, more powerful form. "Weavile weav!"

"But…I thought you said Sneasel didn't want to evolve. To prove he could be stronger than any Weavile." KC said.

"KC, he _is_ stronger than a Weavile." Alex replied. "He's already proven to me time and time again that he's powerful. He refused to evolve because he wasn't sure. I wasn't sure, either. But Sneasel has made up his mind now. Or should I say Weavile?"

The glow vanished, revealing a powerful Weavile in Sneasel's place. The Weavile flexed his claws, testing them, and smirked. He fell into an attack stance, eyes glinting with mischief as he watched Croagunk.

"Who cares if that weasel evolved? It doesn't change anything!" Cole declared.

"Oh, really? I think it changes everything." Alex said. "Weavile, use Avalanche!"

Weavile raised his claws and summoned a giant pile of snow to crash down on the frog. A blue ball of energy formed between his claws as he used Ice Beam, freezing the snow mound solid with Croagunk trapped inside.

"Weavile, use Night Slash!" Alex ordered.

"Croagunk, break out using Shadow Jab!" Cole shouted.

The ice shattered as Croagunk freed itself. Weavile started slashing at it, giving Croagunk no time to defend itself. After a few seconds, Croagunk fought back and shoved Weavile away from it. Weavile smirked, licking the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"KC, let's finish this." Alex said, turning to her friend.

"But how?" KC asked.

Darkrai struggled to remain floating as he moved forward, standing alongside Weavile. KC and Alex nodded to each other. Weavile eyed Darkrai suspiciously but nodded. The pair was ready to end this fight.

"Weavile, use Shadow Claw!"

"Darkrai, use Shadow Ball!"

Croagunk let out a small whimper just before the attacks struck it. It was sent flying across the gym, knocked out instantly. KC tossed his last Snag Ball, capturing the Shadow Pokemon. KC and Alex had won the second Cipher Elite 4 battle.

Cole groaned and teleported away, refusing to say anything. He had failed and that was all he needed to know.

KC smiled, only to win as his shoulder smarted with pain. Alex turned to him and smiled. "That was a great battle, KC. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

"It's okay," KC replied. "Hey, how did you get in here anyway? Only the five of us were supposed to be able to go through the barrier."

"It turns out I was the sixth person, KC. But before that, I have to tell you something."

"What?"

Alex blushed and hugged KC, lightly enough so as not to aggravate his injuries. "I love you," she said softly.

"Huh?" KC's face turned bright red. _Alex…loves me? She loves me!_ "I-I love you too, Alex."

Alex laughed, smiling. "I knew it," she said.

"Ahem?"

"Huh?" KC and Alex looked up to see Bruno standing on the edge of the crater. "Oh! Hi, Bruno."

"I think you two can save the romantic stuff for later." Bruno stated. "We have a wounded Legendary on our hands."

"Darkrai!" KC cried.

The Dark-type was on the ground, panting for breath. His body was covered in injuries. KC leaned over the Legendary and gasped. A deep slash tore along Darkrai's left side, blood oozing from it along with a purple liquid. Toxicroak had managed to poison Darkrai.

"Darkrai needs immediate medical attention." Bruno said. "Unfortunately, Pokemon Centers have a harder time treating wild Pokemon than captured ones."

KC nodded and started fishing around in his bag, pulling out the Master Ball Mark had given him in Saffron City. "Will this be good?" he asked.

"KC! What about what you and Luffy said? About betraying your dad and stuff." Alex reminded.

"I know but I don't have a choice. I have to help Darkrai!" KC cried. "I have to…"

Darkrai closed his ingle blue eye. _Do it._

"Huh?" KC realized that Darkrai was talking to him.

_Do it,_ Darkrai repeated. _It will prevent Cipher from capturing me as easily. I can also better protect you and Luffy, unlike with your mother. I don't want to lose anyone else ever again._

"Darkrai," Alex said. Then she looked at KC. "Do it, KC. Darkrai's life matters more than his freedom right now. Maybe we could release him later."

"Right!" KC pointed the Master Ball at Darkrai. _I'm sorry, dad…but this is for Darkrai's own good!_

Darkrai relaxed as the red light washed over him, engulfing him as he was pulled into the Master Ball. In moments, there was no sign that Darkrai had ever been there. The Master Ball shook three times and clicked, signaling his capture. KC clutched the Master Ball close.

"Let's go," Alex said, helping KC to his feet.

Bruno led the two Snaggers out of the arena and down the stairs to the bottom floor. As they passed through the barrier, Luffy hugged his younger brother and congratulated them on their victory. As KC and Alex went outside, they held hands.

_Valencia Island…_

The doorknob attached to the front door of Prof. Ivy's lab jiggled a bit. After a few seconds, the lock clicked and the door swung open to reveal Calor and her minions. The redhead released her Shadow Gardevoir as they walked deeper into the lab. Upon reaching a door with a sign on it saying 'Medical Bay', Calor picked the lock once more and entered.

Entering the room, Calor sighed. "At least this is one Legendary we won't be losing."

Resting in a glass tank in the center of the room…was Zapdos, still unconscious. Its wing was almost completely healed now but its unconscious state left it vulnerable to capture. That was Calor's mission. To capture Zapdos and bring it back to base to become a Shadow Pokemon.

"Gardevoir, use Shadow Wave!" Calor ordered.

"Garde…VOIR!"

The Shadow Pokemon unleashed shadowy waves of aura that hit the glass tank, sending cracks spider-webbing across its surface. After a few seconds, the glass shattered completely. A siren went off immediately but it was silenced by a goon kicking the flashing red light off the wall.

Calor and her minions grabbed Zapdos and teleported outside of the lab, where the helicopter was waiting to transport it back to the island. As the goons tied Zapdos up in the net, Prof. Ivy and Prof. Oak arrived.

"What's going on here?" Prof. Ivy asked. "What are you people doing to Zapdos?"

"Those are members of Cipher!" Prof. Oak cried. "Release Zapdos immediately!"

"Make us, old timer." Calor dared. "See you later!"

Returning her Gardevoir, the redhead grabbed the outside of the net as the helicopter took off with its precious cargo. The two professors could only watch as the chopper faded into the distance, taking the wounded Legendary with it.

"We couldn't help it." Prof. Ivy said. "No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't prevent Cipher from capturing Zapdos."

"I don't think there's much we could've done to stop them, Prof. Ivy." Prof. Oak reluctantly argued. "Let's go inside. I need to inform Tracy of what has happened here so that the Snaggers will know what has happened here."

"Right," The pair went inside the lab to tell Tracy the news of Zapdos' capture.

_On the island that houses Cipher…_

The helicopter landed, being careful not to jolt Zapdos awake. Prof. Pine smiled as the Legendary bird was loaded onto the truck and driven to his lab. "Good job, Miss Calor. This might just be enough to wipe that little incident with Mewtwo off of your record."

"Thank you, sir," Calor nodded. She watched as Zapdos was taken away. _I'm so sorry, Zapdos. Please forgive me._

"So, you're Calor. I've been hoping to meet you."

"Huh?" She turned to see TK standing behind her. "You're Battonage, right? I've heard of you. What do you want with me?"

"I just wanted to talk, that's all." TK reassured. "You were recruited during Greevil's reign, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Calor was becoming uncomfortable. _Just who is this kid?_

"I heard that you were recruited forcefully. Is that true?"

"Maybe,"

"You can be honest. I'm not going to tell anyone." TK said.

"You better not," Calor growled. "Yes, I was forcefully recruited. My Gardevoir became a Shadow Pokemon and could care less about me now."

"Do you hate Cipher?"

"What kind of question is that?" Calor asked, growing suspicious.

"Oh, nothing! Thanks for talking to me! Bye!" TK turned on his heel and fled.

"What a weird guy. And he's supposed to be a Gym Leader?" Calor turned and went to her room, exhausted from the day's events.

TK didn't stop running until he reached his room. Pikachu jumped from the bed and into his arms, purring in joy to see him. "Hey, buddy. Sorry I'm late. I had to get some more information about some of the more well-known goons."

"Pika pi?"

His Styler suddenly started ringing. "Hello?"

"Top Ranger Tristian Kapture, how has your mission gone so far?" Chairperson Erma asked. "Have you found out where Cipher is planning to strike next?"

"I have reason to believe that Gym Leaders for the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions have not been chosen." TK replied. "The Orange Islands currently only have one Gym Leader. The Snaggers are currently battling against the Kanto Elite 4 and Cipher Champion at the Indigo Plateau."

"Good work so far, Tristian. Keep us posted." Erma said.

"I sure will, Chairperson Erma." TK promised.

"You keep it up, TK!" Rhythmi cheered. "I can't wait until this is all over!"

"Me too, Rhythmi. Me too." TK agreed. "Tristian Kapture, out."

"Pi pikachu?"

"Don't worry, buddy. A little longer and then we can get out of here." TK said, picking up the Electric-type. "Just hang in there, okay? You keep up your sabotage."

"Pika!"

"Good boy!" TK praised. He smiled. _I hope those Snaggers can beat the Cipher Champion. If my info is correct, that guy has Shadow Mew with him. Good luck, you guys. You'll need it._

**Next Chapter:** The Broken Seal

"Siobhan, I demand to know your reason for joining Cipher!" Agatha shouted.

"Why not? I might as well tell you, granny." Siobhan shrugged. "I joined Cipher to get stronger. Isn't that always the reason?"

"No granddaughter of mine would do something like this!"

"Well, I'm not your cute little granddaughter anymore!" Siobhan snapped. "I'm stronger now, stronger than you! And this book is going to ensure my victory!"

"Book?" Leena repeated.

"Yes, this book." Siobhan held out her magical book, entitled 'The Book of Spirits'. "I found it in some dusty old ruins in Almia. Ever since I found it, I haven't lost a single battle!"

"Siobhan!" Agatha scolded. "That book was hidden away for a reason! No matter how much power it supplies you with, it comes at a price!"

"Who cares?" Siobhan stuck out her tongue. "Besides, I already broke the last seal on this book. I can summon a whole army of spirits now."

"Siobhan," Agatha whispered. "What have you done…?"

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Whoa! I updated this in 16 days?! Awesome! And I only have 12 days left of school now! Even more awesome! Summer is here and I've got the writing fever, guys! Expect plenty of updates!

I had trouble figuring out who would be Cole's strongest Pokemon. First I had Machoke, then Toxicroak (who I later realized was already given to Siobhan), and finally Croagunk. Sorry if something doesn't make sense. I had to revise it a lot to get it this way.

I'm working on more Pokemon Mystery Dungeon stories, so I apologize to those who miss me updating PMD2: Explorations of Time and Darkness. I'm trying my hardest, honest! Multitasking with stories is very hard to do. I could put up the first few chapters of PMD2: Explorers of Fate and PMD: Yellow Rescue Team if people want to check those out.

I have decided to do the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands directly after Kanto is finished, then begin on Johto. I'll work hard to get back on track in Johto so that everything moves smoothly. I've got lots of things planned for Johto, so expect a lot of surprises. I'm almost done deciding where everyone is going to go but don't fret, all the Snaggers will eventually meet up again at least halfway through Johto!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, including the revelation of the love blooming between KC and Alex. Please review!


	38. Chapter 38: The Broken Seal

Hey, everybody! School's out and I'm planning on dishing out as many updates as possible this summer. I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter, especially the blooming love between KC and Alex. I'm having a ton of fun coming up with situations to make their love blossom even more. If any of you also have ideas for pairings involving your OCs, go ahead and voice it.

Pit Fan, I'll place both of your new OCs at the Orange Islands since I plan on sending Blacky there. My decisions for who's-going-where aren't final but I already know who is going to Johto. They are Mark, Alex, KC, Mist, and (occurring later in Johto) Luffy and TK. That leaves Jake, Freeze, Ookami, Roen, Zack, and (occurring a bit later) Brad. You'll know why Luffy and Brad will appear later soon, KCSonic113.

Ketchum Kid, I'm still coming up with the Orange Island Cipher Gym Leaders. TK does sound like he'd do well as the second gym's leader but having two gyms would be pretty tough, even for an experienced Top Ranger like him. If anyone wants, you can submit an Orange Islands Cipher Gym Leader but only three can be submitted since Fernanda is the Mikan Island Gym Leader.

Anyway, this chapter contains the third Cipher Elite 4 battle. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. One more to go before we hit the Cipher Champion battle! Enough about that, though. Onto the chapter!

Chapter 38: The Broken Seal

Siobhan smirked before bursting out in laughter. "How dumb can you get?! Physical attacks don't affect Ghost-type Pokemon!" she laughed. "How on earth did you get to be six-place winner of the Kanto League?"

Leena growled. _This girl is really ticking me off!_ "Then why don't you show me how it's done?" she dared.

"Gladly! Haunter, use Shadow Shade!"

Leena smirked. "Gotcha! Sinner, use Mirror Move!"

The Fearow held out his wings and created a barrier, sending the attack crashing straight back at Shadow Haunter. The Ghost-type cried out, backing up a bit. Siobhan stared in shock before gritting her teeth in rage.

"My turn! Gengar, use Thunderbolt!" Agatha cried.

Haunter let out a screech of agony as it was electrocuted. Siobhan stomped her feet. "You no-good, dirty, rotten cheaters!" she shouted.

"It's not cheating if you're weakening your opponent. You're such a kid!" Leena barked. "Sinner, return! Eden, you're in!"

The Gardevoir emerged, handing off her egg to Leena. As the girl placed it in her bag, she caught Siobhan looking. Ignoring her, Leena hauled the bag back on her shoulders and huffed.

Agatha shook her head. "You haven't changed, Siobhan." She admitted. "You're the same power-hungry little girl as you were before. You cry when things don't go your way and use your anger to force others to obey you."

"Shut up!" Siobhan snapped. "I have changed, granny! I'm _stronger_ now! And I'm going to prove it! Haunter, use Shadow Sucker Punch!"

"Eden, use Psychic!" Leena ordered.

"Gengar, use one more Thunderbolt!" Agatha said.

Gengar placed itself in front of Eden, allowing the physical attack to pass through it. Eden and Gengar then combined their attacks, nearly knocking the Shadow Pokemon out. Haunter floated backward, only to be hit by a final Psychic by Eden. Leena quickly captured it with a Snag Ball, smirking in triumph.

"You gonna continue or are you gonna give up?" Leena asked.

Siobhan was shaking, falling to her knees. Then she began to cry. Agatha held out a hand, stopping Leena from going any closer. Then Siobhan looked up and glared at them. Grabbing another Poke Ball, she clenched it tightly. "I won't forgive you," she hissed. "I'll make you both pay!! Drifblim, use Payback!"

"Eden, use Psychic and then Magical Leaf!" Leena cried.

The psychic attack hit Drifblim, only to have the damage doubled as Payback hit Eden twice as hard. The Gardevoir glared at the Ghost-type, summoning glowing leaves and hurling them at it. Drifblim yelped, backing off as the sharp leaves crashed into it by the dozens. Finally breaking away, Drifblim returned to its trainer's side.

"Eden, are you okay?" Leena asked, kneeling by her side.

"Gardevoir voir," Eden nodded. "Garde!"

Leena nodded. "Alright! Let's do this!" Standing up, she looked back at Agatha. "Let's kick her butt!"

Agatha smiled. "With pleasure. No granddaughter of mine is escaping this without quite the harsh punishment."

"What are you gonna do? Spank me?" Siobhan laughed. "I'm not going to lose! I can't lose with the power I have!"

"Well, you're about to lose! Eden, use Magical Leaf!" Leena shouted.

"Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Agatha ordered.

Drifblim was forced back even more as the sharp leaves collided with its body. Then it cowered, waiting for the Sludge Bomb to finish it off. It never came.

"What happened to your Sludge Bomb, granny?" Siobhan asked. "Is your Gengar just as old and poorly-aimed at battling as you?"

"No," Agatha said smugly. "I believe my attack should hit in 3…2…1…"

Suddenly, the Sludge Bomb crashed on top of Siobhan's head. Gasping in pure shock, she gagged and desperately tried to get the sludge off. "EEEEEEW!" she wailed.

"Good job," Leena chuckled.

"I should hope so," Agatha replied. "So much for the saying 'You can't teach an old Arcanine new tricks'. I believe I've just proven that saying wrong."

"Then again, you're not an old Arcanine." Leena pointed out.

"Well, I should hope not. I quite enjoy being human, thank you." Agatha said.

Leena grinned. _Man! No wonder I love her the most out of all the Elite 4! She's both the oldest and the cleverest!_ "Eden, finish that Drifblim off with Psychic!"

The moment Drifblim was defeated, Siobhan pulled another crying fit. Then she became enraged once more. "I won't be defeated by an old woman and a loser!!" she shouted. "Roserade, show them my true power!"

"Eden, return! Arcane, you're on!" Leena called. "Arcane, use Flame Wheel!"

A giant wheel made of pure fire erupted from the Arcanine's jaws and crashed into the Grass-type. Roserade screamed, barely surviving the attack. Then a ball of black energy hit it straight in the back, knocking it out. Gengar returned to its place by Agatha's side, grinning manically.

"Shadow Toxicroak, get out here!" Siobhan shouted, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. _This can't be! This can't be happening, damn it! If I have to, I'll destroy them with my special Pokemon… They won't get out of this alive!_

Leena smiled. "Now do you see why I won sixth place?" she asked. "My Pokemon are ready to tackle any situation. You only have three Pokemon left, Siobhan. I hope you have a better plan soon." _This seems too easy,_ she thought.

Agatha returned her Gengar and tossed out Arbok. _Siobhan is planning something. She may seem like just a normal child but she's clever when need be. What's her strategy?_

"Knock them out right away! Shadow Impact!" Siobhan ordered.

"Hold on, Leena!" Agatha warned.

"Don't worry! I've got a plan!" Leena reassured, returning Arcane.

The giant blue frog jumped into the air, pulling back a fist as it gathered glowing black energy. Then it launched itself straight into the ground, causing the ground to crack and rumble fiercely. Siobhan released her Shadow Tentacruel and jumped onto its head, allowing it to take a bit of damage to protect her.

When the dust cleared, Siobhan looked around. "Where did they go?!" she cried.

"Up here!" Leena barked.

"Huh?" Siobhan looked up and gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Leena laughed.

Flying high up in the air, nearly touching the ceiling, was Sinner the Fearow. Agatha was riding on his back while the bird had his talons firmly gripping Leena's shoulders, protecting them from the shockwaves on the ground. Agatha's Arbok had survived the attack and looked up, glaring directly at Siobhan.

"Arbok, use Earthquake!" Agatha called.

The serpent nodded and summoned its own powerful shockwaves, tossing the two Shadow Pokemon around. Toxicroak, growing angry, gained a violet aura around it and unleashed its Shadow Jab upon Arbok. Arbok dodged each strike, hissing and sinking its fangs into the frog's arm.

"Now use Giga Drain, Arbok!" Agatha ordered.

Toxicroak bellowed in rage and tried to throw the health-draining cobra off, finally succeeding when Arbok withdrew its fangs. The snake slithered away, licking its lips with its forked tongue. The violet aura grew brighter as Toxicroak grew angrier.

"What is that?" Agatha muttered.

"That must be Hyper Mode!" Leena growled. "It makes the Shadow Pokemon stronger but it gets hurt in the process. Siobhan has to call it back before Toxicroak gets hurt."

"Siobhan, call your Pokemon!" Agatha shouted.

"No!" Siobhan replied. "Toxicroak's even stronger now! Toxicroak, use Shadow Hyper Beam!"

"Sinner, use Wing Attack!" Leena cried. _If that hits us up here, the fall could kill Agatha and me! What's that stupid girl thinking?!_

Looking up, a ball of bright purple energy formed in front of Toxicroak's mouth. Just as a giant energy blast erupted from it, Sinner unleashed two small tornadoes from underneath his wings. The two attacks collided, pushing against each other in a power struggle. Suddenly, the tornadoes vanished and the Shadow Hyper Beam rocketed toward the two trainers.

"Arbok, use Earthquake!" Agatha suddenly shouted.

Arbok summoned another shockwave, causing the Shadow Pokemon to lose its footing. Stumbling backward, Toxicroak's attack veered off course and crashed into the ceiling. Sinner quickly dove toward the ground, shielding the two women from the debris with his wings.

When the field cleared once again, Toxicroak suddenly stood up. Siobhan laughed. "See?! Not even two Earthquakes can take down my Shadow Pokemon! Ready to give up, granny?"

"Not yet. Look again, Siobhan." Agatha said. "You might understand why we told you to call your Toxicroak."

"Huh?" Siobhan glanced down at the frog.

Toxicroak slowly began swaying back and forth as the damage from both attacks took their toll on it. Add in the recoil hits from being in Hyper Mode and the pain really began to hit it hard. The frog suddenly fell backward, knocked out. Leena tossed a Snag Ball, capturing it.

Siobhan fell to her knees on Tentacruel's head. "B-but…that didn't happen! How?!"

"When a Shadow Pokemon is in Hyper Mode, it takes recoil damage every turn." Leena explained. "Maybe if you called Toxicroak when we told you to, it wouldn't have fainted. The recoil damage is what knocked it out, not us. You only have yourself to blame, Siobhan."

"That's why they say 'Knowledge is power', Siobhan." Agatha added. "If you had known better, maybe you could've caused us more damage. But you didn't. Will you continue?"

"You…you…" Siobhan clenched her fists. "Who cares about knowledge?! You're just like that stupid ranger!"

"Ranger?" Leena repeated. _Does she mean a Pokemon Ranger?_

"Well, you're all wrong!" Siobhan shouted. "It's power! As long as you have power, nothing can bring you down! And I have all the power in the world right here in my hands! Cipher has promised me everything!"

"Siobhan, I demand to know your reason for joining Cipher!" Agatha shouted.

"Why not? I might as well tell you, granny." Siobhan shrugged. "I joined Cipher to get stronger. Isn't that always the reason?"

"No granddaughter of mine would do something like this!"

"Well, I'm not your cute little granddaughter anymore!" Siobhan snapped. "I'm stronger now, stronger than you! And this book is going to ensure my victory!"

"Book?" Leena repeated.

"Yes, this book." Siobhan held out her magical book, entitled 'The Book of Spirits'. "I found it in some dusty old ruins in Almia. Ever since I found it, I haven't lost a single battle!"

"Siobhan!" Agatha scolded. "That book was hidden away for a reason! No matter how much power it supplies you with, it comes at a price!"

"Who cares?" Siobhan stuck out her tongue. "Besides, I already broke the last seal on this book. I can summon a whole army of spirits now."

"Siobhan," Agatha whispered. "What have you done…?"

"You'll know soon enough, granny…if you live that long!" Siobhan growled. "Gengar, go! Use Shadow Punch on Fearow!"

Gengar vanished, reappearing in front of Leena and striking. Sinner quickly defended her, knocking himself out in the process. Leena returned Sinner and tossed out Dragonair. Arbok hissed at Gengar, driving the Ghost-type away for the moment.

Leena glared at Siobhan. "You're about to see my true power now, Siobhan. Dragonair, use Hyper Beam!"

"Idiot! I can dodge that!" Siobhan laughed. "Gengar, dodge it and use Hypnosis!"

Gengar quickly jumped out of the way, watching as the orange beam shot past it harmlessly. Just as its eyes began to glow, Leena started laughing.

"What are you laughing at?!" Siobhan demanded. "Stop it right now!"

"I'm laughing at how _stupid_ you are, Siobhan!" Leena replied, smirking. "Dragonair are far more powerful than you think they are."

"Huh?" Siobhan blinked curiously.

"Aside from their attacks, Dragonair have four distinct powers that they can use at will." Leena said. "One, to gallop not only across the sea but through the air. Two, to change the direction of energy blasts. Three, to control the weather itself. Four, to toss their opponents around by combining attack modes with other Dragonair. I think you know which one I'm about to use now, Siobhan."

Agatha looked at the girl in shock. _What a clever way to use Dragonair's abilities,_ she thought. _Leena's thinking the exact same way that Lance does with his two Dragonair. How strange…_

"Uh…" Siobhan suddenly realized what was about to happen. "Gengar, get out of there!"

"Too late! Dragonair, do your thing!" Leena ordered.

"Nair!" Dragonair nodded, her eyes turning a brilliant light blue.

Suddenly, the Hyper Beam did a complete u-turn and crashed into Gengar's back. Just as Gengar struggled to its feet, the attack hit it again. Over and over, the attack hit Gengar until it was barely able to stand. Dragonair ceased her attacks and seemed to smile.

"Agatha, it's all yours." Leena said.

"Arbok, use Giga Drain!"

The last of Gengar's health was drained away, knocking it out. Siobhan returned her final normal Pokemon and jumped off of Tentacruel's head. "Shadow Tentacruel, your turn!" she ordered. Then the brunette smirked. _This isn't over! Not even close! Just wait until you see my next trick, granny. Just you wait…_

Returning Arbok, Agatha tossed out her Gengar again. "We might as well finish this up quickly, Leena."

"Yeah," the raven-haired girl nodded. "Dragonair, use Thunder Wave!"

"Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"

Siobhan's smirk grew as she opened the Book of Spirits and began chanting softly under her breath. Just seconds before the attacks could hit, Roserade reappeared and took the attacks. The Grass-type smirked. Tentacruel remained unharmed.

"What?!" Leena cried. "No way!"

Agatha suddenly glared at Siobhan. "Don't you know what you're doing, Siobhan?! That book is dangerous! Stop right now!"

"No!" Siobhan said. "I can continue to revive my Pokemon as many times as I please. Do you really I'll stop just because you asked me to? With this book, I'm invincible!"

"As long as that Roserade is out, we can't hurt that Tentacruel." Leena grumbled. "How is she doing this, Agatha?"

"We have to destroy it," Agatha replied coldly. "We must destroy that book. My ancestors hid that book in Almia in order to protect the world from the creature that lies dormant inside of it. Even if it is an important relic, we must destroy it at all costs!"

"Hah! Like you could, granny!" Siobhan laughed. "Just try it! Tentacruel, use Shadow Constrict! Roserade, use Magical Leaf!"

"Gengar, use Thunderb—AAAH!"

"Agatha!" Leena cried.

One of Shadow Tentacruel's tentacles wrapped tightly around the elder Elite 4 member, picking her up and tightening its grip. As Leena charged to free her, Roserade launched its glowing leaves at her and sent the girl flying backward. Dragonair quickly caught her trainer, crying out in alarm.

"Dragonair nair! Nair!"

"A-Agatha!" Leena coughed, struggling to sit up in Dragonair's coils. "Let her g-go, Siobhan! You r-regret it!"

"Oh, really? Make me regret it then." Siobhan dared. Turning, she smirked at her trapped grandmother. "How does it feel to know that you're being beaten by your own granddaughter, granny? It hurts, right? Well, it should! You trained me hard as a kid and now I'm getting my revenge!"

"Siobhan!" Agatha gasped as the tentacles tightened again, putting pressure on her chest. "You don't need to do this! Cipher's only using you! Please!"

"And I'm only using Cipher, granny." Siobhan replied. "Cipher is my way of finding bigger and stronger opponents to fight. I actually could care less about what their goals are. My only goal is to become the best Ghost-type trainer in the world. And that can't happen if you're still around, granny."

"Siobhan, stop it!" Leena shouted, finally standing up and pulling the sharp leaves from her shirt. She was bleeding from the places where they managed to pierce the skin. "Would you really go so far as to kill your own grandmother just to get stronger? That's sick!"

"I don't care! Gengar, Drifblim, and Roserade, deal with that girl!" Siobhan ordered. "Granny is all yours, Tentacruel!"

"Dragonair, use Slam!" Leena ordered.

The Dragon-type shot out from behind Leena and soared over the three Pokemon, rocketing directly toward Shadow Tentacruel. Siobhan growled but continued to chant under her breath. Tentacruel managed to capture Dragonair in its tentacles, unleashing a Shadow Sting. As the sharp needles pierced her blue skin, Dragonair screamed.

"Dragonair!" Leena cried.

Drifblim unleashed a Payback, forcing the girl to her knees as it hit her back. Gengar smashed its fist into her side, sending Leena sprawling across the arena floor. Roserade quickly followed up with another Magical Leaf, forcing Leena to curl up into a ball to protect herself.

Siobhan smirked through her chanting. _There's no way I can lose now! Granny and that Snagger girl are as good as dead once I finish this spell! Even without my commands, my Pokemon are doing great! Keep it up, you four!_

As Roserade prepared at attack again, a loud cry echoed throughout the whole gym. Turning, the three Pokemon watched as Dragonair continued to struggle amidst all the pain she was in. Turning, Dragonair smashed her horn into Tentacruel's tentacles. The Shadow Pokemon bellowed, releasing both her and Agatha.

"Dragonair! Agatha!" Leena cried. _I have to get to them!_

Siobhan kept chanting despite her anger. _Come on, Tentacruel! Don't let them get away! I'm nearly done, too!_

Tentacruel raised a single tentacle and crashed it down on Agatha. Dragonair quickly protected her, crying out in pain. A Poke Ball at Leena's waist suddenly started shaking, growing more violent with each passing second. As Dragonair cried out a second time, black energy started erupted from the sphere.

Leena slowly got on her hands and knees, noticing the ball moving. _Oh no… Eden, stop!_ Reaching out, she snatched the Poke Ball off her belt and clutched it to her chest. _Eden, hang in there! Don't let the darkness get you! Please, Eden!_

Siobhan noticed Leena slowly getting up. _Nearly done,_ she thought. _Just a little more!_

Agatha, slowly opening her eyes, smiled. "Got you…Siobhan…"

Gengar suddenly appeared by her side and unleashed a Thunderbolt, electrocuting Tentacruel. The giant jellyfish bellowed before it collapsed. Agatha let go of the Snag Ball Leena had given her, capturing Siobhan's final Shadow Pokemon. Gengar grinned in triumph while Dragonair collapsed, too hurt to move anymore.

As Leena clutched Eden's Poke Ball, Gengar quickly defeated Siobhan's remaining three Pokemon that were previously revived. Agatha slowly got up and limped toward the girl.

"Leena, we've won." Agatha said. "You can get up now. Leena?"

"Won?" Siobhan asked, finally able to speak again. "You really think you've won? Not by a long shot! I still have one Pokemon left. The one in this book…Spiritomb!"

Agatha looked up in fear. "Siobhan, stop this right now! Even if you have control of it, Spiritomb is too dangerous to set free! Please, for once in your life, listen to me!"

"No! I'm done listening to you, granny!" Siobhan shouted. "I'm in control here! I win!"

The moment Siobhan opened the book once again, hundreds of spirits erupted from its pages and swarmed in the air around her. Eden's Poke Ball suddenly grew white-hot, causing Leena to yelp as she dropped it. The Poke Ball opened in a blast of black energy, revealing Eden. The only difference was that she now had a dark aura around her.

"Leena!" Agatha cried, kneeling by the girl's side. "What's wrong with your Gardevoir?"

Leena slowly looked up at her Pokemon. Eden continued to watch as the spirits continued to appear from the Book of Spirits. "Everything," she muttered. "It's all Cipher's fault."

"You afraid yet?" Siobhan asked. "The Snagger girl's shaking. Are you scared?"

"I'm scared for Eden, you idiot! You people used her!" Leena shouted. "You kidnapped her and used her in your fucking Shadow Pokemon experiments! I'll never forgive you people!"

"Huh?" Siobhan asked. "Do I look like I really care? You'll probably be dead in a moment, anyway. Spiritomb, reveal yourself now!"

All of the spirits suddenly fused together into a huge ball of pink and green energy. Siobhan pulled out the Old Keystone from her pocket and placed it on the ground. The spirits shot into the keystone and formed into Spiritomb. Suddenly, the arena was filled with a hundred different whispers.

Eden glared before forming a ball of dark energy between her hands. "Garde…VOIR!!" she cried, tossing it at Spiritomb.

Instead of dodging the attack, Spiritomb absorbed the dark energy and then launched it back at her. Eden was sent flying backward, collapsing at Leena's feet. Leena quickly fell to her knees by the Psychic-type, watching as the dark aura faded. "Eden…" she whispered.

"Spiritomb," Agatha muttered. "Siobhan, do you realize what you've done? Realize what you've released?!"

"Yeah," Siobhan nodded. "A super-powerful Pokemon that was bound to the Odd Keystone by a magic spell because of its constant mischief and misdeeds. Now that I've freed it, I can command its powers. With an army of spirits at my beck and call, I've become invincible. What do you say to that, granny? Impressed yet?"

"Siobhan…I refuse to let this progress any further!" Agatha shouted. "Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"

Just as the lightning bolt shot toward the Ghost/Dark-type, the newly-revived Roserade appeared and took the hit. It fainted instantly. Siobhan laughed as she returned her three fallen Pokemon.

"I don't need these three to fight for me anymore. Not when I have an army at my disposal." Siobhan said, smirking. "This Spiritomb is quite special, granny. As I'm sure you already are aware of, this Spiritomb has access to the move Nightmare."

"Huh?" Leena looked up, still holding the unconscious Eden in her arms.

"Siobhan!" Agatha barked warningly. _She wouldn't…she can't! As long as I have Gengar, Nightmare won't affect me. What does she plan to do with Nightmare then?_

"As you're also aware of, this particular variation of Nightmare can't affect a trainer if they have a Ghost-type Pokemon to defend them." Siobhan continued. Her gaze locked with Leena's. "Without a Ghost-type Pokemon, you're prey…Leena!"

"Leena, run!" Agatha shouted.

"Time to find out what your worst nightmare is, 6th place Pokemon League Champion! Spiritomb, use Nightmare!" Siobhan shouted.

Spiritomb dispersed into an army of spirits once again. The spirits shot toward Leena, surrounding her. The raven-haired girl looked around wildly, clutching Eden closer to her. One of the spirits tapped her forehead. "Good night…" it hissed eerily. Leena then slowly fell to the ground, succumbing to her worst nightmares.

"Leena!" Agatha cried.

"One down, one to go!" Siobhan laughed.

_Leena opened her eyes and found herself floating in a strange black void. Around her were little spheres of light, almost like bubbles. As one came closer to her, she realized that the bubbles contained moving pictures. No—memories! Leena's memories! Peering into the bubble, she found herself sucked into it. Blinking, she realized that she was in the memory. Then it started…_

_It was of that night. The night when her parents and Connie were murdered by that woman. As she relived the horrid memory, she noticed the woman seemed to be peering at her out of the corner of her eye. The Persian was also looking at her. But how?_

_Suddenly, everything faded except for her and that accursed woman. The blue-haired murderer turned to Leena and smiled. "My, you've sure grown up." She stroked her Persian lovingly. "I had actually hoped you'd die in that smelly alley, dear. It seems that didn't happen."_

"_What?" Then it hit her. This woman was talking to her. "Who are you? Why did you kill Connie? Answer me!"_

_The woman chuckled softly. "If you must know, my name is Selene and I am an agent of Cipher."_

"_Why did Cipher target me?!" Leena demanded._

"_Hmph! Such a rude child. I might have to fix that." Selene lifted the gun and pointed it at Leena. "This'll be nothing like my precious Persian's claws, dear."_

_The gun went off and the bullet pierced Leena's left shoulder. Then something unexpected happened. Leena screamed. She could actually feel the pain from the gunshot. Clutching the wound, she felt blood running from the injury. "What's going on?" she hissed._

"_In dreams, you can't feel pain." Selene said, stepping closer to her wounded target. "Even in your nightmares, you can't feel pain. It's all in your head, dear. Not in this nightmare, though. Everything here is entirely real. If you die here, you die in reality."_

"_What?!" Leena took a shaky step back._

"_What's the matter, dear? Afraid?" Selene smirked cruelly. "Well, you better be!"_

_Leena took off running down the empty alleyway the moment Selene lifted her gun to shoot. Bursting out into the street, the raven-haired girl found it devoid of cars or people. There were only buildings, alleys, and that lone street that seemed to stretch on forever and ever. She ran down the street, searching desperately for a hiding place._

_That's when another bullet crashed into her right thigh, causing her to fall to the ground. Screaming in pain, she clutched the wound and turned to look over her shoulder. Selene emerged from the alley and slowly walked toward her. Terrified, Leena managed to drag herself into a nearby alley and used the brick wall to stand back up. A shadow fell over her and she looked up._

"_Found you, dear!" Selene sang, entering the alley._

"Leena! Leena! LEENA!!" Agatha shouted, shaking the unconscious teenager. "Leena, wake up! Don't fall for Siobhan's tricks!"

"Too late, granny. She's entered her worst nightmare." Siobhan giggled. "Now to finish you off. She won't be waking up anytime soon."

"Gengar, use Thunderbolt again!" Agatha ordered. "You won't get away with this, Siobhan! I promise!"

"Promises mean nothing, granny! Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse!" Siobhan barked.

A wave of dark energy exploded from Spiritomb's body, causing Gengar to fly backward a good five or six feet. Gengar unleashed a lightning bolt that hit dead on, causing little damage. Spiritomb suddenly vanished, avoiding a second Thunderbolt.

"Where is it?" Agatha muttered, looking around.

"Gengar gen—GAAAAR!!"

"Gengar!" Agatha cried, watching as her Ghost/Poison-type crashed to the ground. "But how?"

"Shadow Sneak is pretty useful, isn't it?" Siobhan giggled. "Use Dark Pulse again, Spiritomb!"

The next wave of dark energy sent both Gengar and Agatha flying. Agatha struggled to stand up again, returning her Gengar. Unleashing Arbok, she coughed. _I have to end this…and fast!_ "Arbok, use Earthquake!"

"Ominous Wind!" Siobhan ordered.

The eerie wind crashed into the violet serpent just as it started creating the giant tremors. Spiritomb retreated into the Odd Keystone, allowing the tiny stone to bounce around wildly with the tremors. Once the earthquakes ceased, Spiritomb emerged nearly undamaged.

"You see that, granny?! I'm invincible with Spiritomb on my side!" Siobhan cried. "You don't stand a chance!"

"Even if I don't, I'll still keep fighting. Arbok, use Earthquake again!"

"Stupid old geezer," Siobhan growled. "Learn when to give up! Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse!"

_Leena's heartbeat quickened as Selene drew nearer and nearer with each step. The blue-haired woman smiled, pointing the gun at her once again. "You really enjoy making this difficult, don't you? But it seems our game of cat-and-mouse is about to end."_

"_No…I don't want to die yet." Leena muttered._

_Selene fired the gun and Leena screamed, clutching her right arm to her chest and supporting herself against the brick wall with her left arm. More blood stream from the wound and pain shot through Leena's body with a renewed vengeance. She barely stopped herself from sliding to the ground._

"_I'm afraid you don't have a say in this, dear. You're a stupid, useless, pathetic little girl." Selene said, pointing the gun at Leena's head. "You've lived longer than you were supposed to. This is goodbye…hopefully forever this time."_

_Leena felt rage boiling inside of her. She wasn't some weak little girl! She could fight! Growling, she pushed forward and knocked the gun away with her injured arm. Pulling back her right arm, she struck with a violent punch that no doubt knocked a tooth or two out. Selene fell backward and crashed to the ground, yelping._

"_Who's the weak little girl now?!" Leena shouted._

_Selene smirked, blood running down her chin from her mouth. "You are, dear."_

_A blue glow covered Leena's body and sent her flying backward, crashing heavily into the brick wall. Leena screamed as she felt a few of her ribs crack from the impact. Then she fell on her knees to the ground and nearly face-planted, pain racking her body continuously._

_Selene slowly stood up and smiled as a green and white Pokemon appeared in front of her. "You have my thanks…Eden."_

"_Huh?" Leena looked up and saw that it was indeed Eden. But the look in the Gardevoir's eyes clearly told her that she was under the influence of Cipher's experimentation. "Eden…why?"_

"_She isn't the Eden you know, dear. She's the experimental Shadow Pokemon Cipher created when we first revived the project." Selene explained. "As a Shadow Pokemon, her feelings for her trainer have disappeared and have been replaced by a constant need to fight. You mean nothing to Eden anymore, dear."_

"_Eden…" Leena slowly stood up. "Eden, stop it! You've fought this before! You can do it again! Please, Eden!"_

"_Have you forgotten where you are?" Selene asked. "This is a nightmare where your worst fears are exploited and used against you. You fear encountering me again, so here I am. You fear losing Eden to the darkness, so she is now lost to you. Maybe I should show you the deaths of your companions, which I know you have begun to fear."_

"_No…" Leena started to sink to the ground again. Then she came up with something. Getting up, she shakily started walking toward Eden. "Nightmares can become dreams if you think positively. My dream is to get Eden back to normal. Eden, remember?"_

"_Gar…de?" Eden tilted her head, confused._

"_You're my best friend, Eden." Leena hugged the Gardevoir. "We can beat this nightmare together."_

"_Garde…" Eden slowly hugged the girl back, relaxing. "Gardevoir voir…"_

_Selene suddenly grinned. "That's with normal nightmares, dear. This nightmare isn't normal. Eden!"_

_Leena suddenly gasped as a sharp object tore through her stomach and out her back. Looking down, she realized that Eden's fingers had become sharp claws. Blood spattered the pavement below her feet and more dripped from the tips of Eden's claws. She could feel the warm liquid in her mouth, running down her chin and dotting the ground._

"_E…den…" Leena finally realized it. This really was her worst nightmare._

Agatha coughed as the dust settled. All of her Pokemon except for her Misdreavus had been defeated by the powerful Spiritomb, but that didn't mean she hadn't caused any damage. Spiritomb was certainly down to half of its health after battling her Pokemon. And Agatha didn't plan to back down yet.

"Ready to be defeated, granny?" Siobhan asked.

"Not in this lifetime, Siobhan. Misdreavus, use Psychic!" Agatha cried.

"Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse and follow up with Shadow Sneak!"

Spiritomb unleashed another wave of darkness, taking damage from Misdreavus' attack. Misdreavus yelped as the attack hit it, recovering quickly as it prepared to use Thunderbolt. But Spiritomb was gone, already activating Shadow Sneak. The moment Spiritomb collided with Misdreavus from behind, it unleashed the largest electrical shock it possibly could. Spiritomb jumped away, returning to Siobhan's side.

"Good job, Misdreavus. Hang in there a bit longer." Agatha encouraged.

"Misdreavus mis!" Misdreavus nodded.

"Thank you," the old woman muttered. _Leena, please wake up soon. I don't think I can take Siobhan down by myself!_

Lying by Leena's side, Eden slowly began to stir from unconsciousness. Blinking her large red eyes sleepily, she sat up and noticed the battle occurring in front of her. Turning, she shook Leena firmly but was unable to wake her up. "Gardevoir voir? Garde! Gardevoir voir! Voir!" she cried, shaking Leena. "Garde!"

Siobhan turned to see the Gardevoir. "Well, well. It looks like she finally woke up. Too bad she can't save her own trainer from Spiritomb's Nightmare attack."

"Garde?" Eden had managed to overhear Siobhan. "Gardevoir voir? Garde…" Pulling the unconscious girl into her lap, Eden placed her head on Leena's shoulder and used telepathy. _Leena? Leena, please wake up. Agatha needs help against Siobhan. She can't defeat her without your help. Leena, wake up! It's me, Eden! Please!_

Siobhan smirked. _Stupid Gardevoir,_ she thought. _Nothing can break through Spiritomb's attacks. That Snagger girl is doomed. And once granny goes down, I'll win!_

As Eden sat there, mentally pleading for her trainer to awaken, Leena began to faintly stir. On her thigh, arm, shoulder, and middle, there was no sign of her ever getting shot or stabbed. A single tear ran down the raven-haired girl's cheek.

"_Now do you understand, dear?" Selene asked, her voice sweet with venom. "This nightmare's never going to end. You'll be trapped here forever, destined to revisit your worst fears for all eternity."_

"_No…" Leena whispered, slowly doubling over. "You're…lying…"_

"_Why would I lie? I'm just telling you the simple truth, dear." Selene said. The blue-haired woman grabbed Leena's ponytail and forced the girl to stand up, allowing Eden to slide her claws out easily. "Did you really think you could help anyone? If anything, disaster follows your every step. That's reality, dear."_

"_You're…wrong…" Leena coughed. "I…will help my friends…no matter what!"_

"_How can you help anyone when you can't even save yourself?" Selene asked. "You can't, can you? In the end, what will it gain you? Friends, family, adventure…?"_

"_Shut…up!" Leena growled._

"_No," Selene replied. "Deep down, you deserve all of this pain. All of this suffering and sorrow. You deserve it all. This is the kind of life people like you deserve to live—a life full of fear!"_

"_No…" Leena tried to pull away._

"_Once again, why would I…lie?" Selene suddenly fell silent, listening._

_Then Leena heard it. "Eden…" she whispered. Not the fake Eden that had just attacked her. The Eden that she knew and loved._

"_Leena? Leena, please wake up. Agatha needs help against Siobhan. She can't defeat her without your help. Leena, wake up! It's me, Eden! Please!"_

_Selene dropped Leena, allowing the teenager to fall to the ground in the pool of blood that had formed not long ago. Then Selene pointed the gun at her. "I think it's time to end this now. Goodbye, Leena." Then she fired the gun, the bullet aimed straight at Leena's head._

_Leena waited for the bullet to kill her, unable to move because of the injuries she had gained. After a while, she slowly looked up and gasped in shock. Standing in front of her was the real Eden, forming a shield in order to protect her. The bullet had ricocheted back, hitting Selene in the head and killing her. The fake Eden had vanished, too._

_Eden turned and held out a hand. Another soon joined it. Looking up, Leena stared in shock as Mark stood there. One by one, the other Snaggers appeared and held out their hands to her. "Need a hand, Leena?" Mark asked._

"…_Yes," Leena reached out and allowed everyone to grab her arm, hauling her up off the ground. "Thanks, guys."_

"_No problem. Just do us a favor, okay?" Luffy said._

"_What?" Leena asked. She noticed that her injuries were gone._

"_Wake up," Oddly enough, Luffy's voice sounded like Eden's voice. Wait, maybe it was Eden. "Wake up, Leena. Please wake up."_

_Blinking, Leena noticed that she was now back in the black void. A single bubble appeared in front of her, showing Eden shaking her unconscious body. In the background, Siobhan and Agatha continued to battle but it was obvious that Agatha wasn't going to last much longer. Reaching out, Leena allowed herself to be sucked into the bubble..._

"Spiritomb, finish it! Dark Pulse!" Siobhan shouted. _Finally! I'm finally going to win!_

Agatha knew this attack would finish her off. _I apologize, Misdreavus. It seems we weren't strong enough. But, even to the end, we'll keep fighting!_ "Misdreavus, Shadow Ball!"

Spiritomb took a little more damage as the orb of dark energy hit it. Then Spiritomb launched its finishing attack. Misdreavus closed its eyes in defeat, accepting its fate. Just moments before the Dark Pulse connected, a blast of pink energy crashed into Spiritomb's side and caused the attack to miss them entirely.

"Who did that?!" Siobhan shouted, turning to glare at the perpetrator…only to gasp in shock. "No way! How did you get free of the nightmare?!"

"Leena!" Agatha cried. "You're awake!"

"You bet I am!" Leena smirked. Standing by her side was Eden and Dragonair. "You really thought a nightmare was gonna knock me out of this fight? Well, looks like you were dead wrong! I'm back and I'm ready to kick some prissy little girl's butt!"

"Eek!" Siobhan yelped. _No! That's not possible! Spiritomb's Nightmare attack can't be broken! How did she get free?!_

"Hey, Agatha! What's the plan?" Leena called.

"We defeat Spiritomb and destroy that book!" Agatha replied. "Spiritomb's already weak thanks to my attacks. The moment it goes down, though, she could use the Book of Spirits to revive it. We have to destroy the book before she can do that."

"Right!" Leena nodded. "With my ace-in-the-hole set, we use my combo without fear. Agatha, let's attack together! Dragonair will handle everything."

"If you say so," Agatha said. "Misdreavus, use Thunderbolt!"

"Eden, use Psychic! Dragonair, you know what to do!" Leena ordered.

Dragonair's eyes began to glow, allowing the direction of energy beams to be changed. The lightning bolt and psychic energy quickly dodged around the Dark Pulse counterattack Spiritomb sent out to defend itself. Both attacks hit head-on, weakening Spiritomb further. Agatha and Leena managed to score another combo hit before Siobhan came up with a counterattack.

"Spiritomb, use Shadow Sneak!" she cried.

"Where is it?" Leena muttered.

"It normally attacks Pokemon from behind," Agatha explained. "But Siobhan never says which Pokemon it attacks. This could be tricky."

Suddenly, Dragonair cried out before crashing to the ground, knocked out. Leena growled, returning the Dragon-type to her Poke Ball. "You did great, girl. We'll have to do without the directional changes now, Agatha."

"I know," The old woman glared at Siobhan. _Even if we defeat Siobhan, how are we going to destroy that book? Maybe…aha! That might just work._

"Spiritomb, use Ominous Wind!" Siobhan ordered. _I can't lose now! Not after all of this hard work!_

Agatha and Leena nodded. "Double Psychic!!" they cried.

The twin beams of energy hit Spiritomb from both sides, nearly knocking it out. Misdreavus suddenly unleashed one final Thunderbolt, finishing it off. Spiritomb fled back into the Odd Keystone, defeated. Leena and Agatha had finally won.

"We did it!" Leena cried.

"I don't think it's over yet." Agatha warned. "Remember what I told you. Do it now, Leena!"

"Right!" Leena grabbed a Poke Ball from her belt and pulled out the Revive Agatha had given her. "Time to wake up, girl!"

Siobhan stared at the Odd Keystone in shock. "No…no, no, no, no, no! I won't let this happen!" Rubbing away the tears, she opened the Book of Spirits and started chanting. _Spiritomb, I'll revive you and we'll end those stupid Snaggers once and for all! I won't lose this! Never!_

"Sorry but you lose, Siobhan! Dragonair, use Hyper Beam!" Leena cried.

The beam of orange light shot toward Siobhan, changing directions and hitting her square in the back. The brunette screamed, falling face-first to the ground as the Book of Spirits flew out of her arms and landed on the ground a few feet away. Getting up, she screamed as the corner of the book flickered with brilliant orange flames. Dashing over, she patted the fire out and clutched the book to her chest.

Agatha walked toward her granddaughter with a stern look on her face. "Siobhan, drop that book this instant! You may not realize it but I am doing you a favor by destroying that book. This Spiritomb is too powerful to be controlled by a mere child. I'm doing this to protect you, Siobhan. Believe me, please."

"No!" Siobhan cried, shaking her head. "It's mine! I found it! You just want to take it away so you can have this power, granny! I won't let you!"

"You little…" Leena punched the brunette as hard as she could. "Don't you realize how worried Agatha is about you?! You attacked her and nearly killed her, yet here she is trying to save your life! You ungrateful little brat! This is why I hate kids like you!"

"Huh?" Siobhan clutched her stinging cheek.

"You should be happy that Agatha cares about you, Siobhan!" Leena shouted. "If you respect that in even the least, you'll drop that stupid book!"

Siobhan whimpered. _She's really scary!_ She narrowed her eyes and grabbed her teleportation device. "Sorry, but I don't care! I'm not dropping this book for anything! I'll get my revenge on you later, Leena! I promise!" Pressing the button, Siobhan vanished as she was teleported away from the Indigo Plateau.

"Grrrr! That ungrateful little brat!" Leena shouted, stomping her foot angrily.

"Siobhan's always been like that, Leena. I knew deep down that she'd never change." Agatha said. "Let's go, Leena. I'm sure everyone is worried about us."

"Yeah," the raven-haired girl nodded. "If I ever see that brat again, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind!"

Agatha simply laughed. After returning their Pokemon, the duo headed down the stairs and emerged through the barrier. As everyone congratulated them, Leena stepped outside and noticed KC and Alex chatting away like lovebirds. Then she saw them holding hands and smiled.

"I guess they finally confessed to each other. About time," she chuckled.

_On the island that houses Cipher, helicopter hanger…_

"This is the boss' orders, sir?" the chopper pilot asked.

"Yes, they are." Prof. Pine nodded. "Attack the Snaggers at the front of the Pokemon League building. If we can capture one of them, we could gain some leverage. If you fail, drop the message I gave to you."

"Understood, sir. Let's move out!"

The pilot and three Cipher goons climbed into the helicopter, taking off in the direction of the Kanto Pokemon League. It took them a while before they were flying right above the building. Lowering themselves, the goons smirked. Only four Snaggers were outside of the building currently: Alex, KC, Leena, and Ryan.

"Let's do this, men! Attack!" the goon in the passenger's seat cried.

On the ground, Ryan was the first to notice the helicopter. Releasing his Bastiodon, he nodded to his other three friends. "Bastiodon, use Hyper Beam."

Just as the goons unleashed their Pokemon, they were all defeated by the blast of orange light made by Bastiodon. The head goon growled and unleashed a Beedrill. "Get that girl! She looks pretty weak!"

The Beedrill shot down from the chopper, dodging around Bastiodon and aiming for Alex. Weavile hissed and struck, knocking the overgrown wasp out of the sky in seconds. Smirking triumphantly, the Ice/Dark-type never noticed the Beedrill getting up and swiping at Alex from behind. An unexpected Pokemon did notice, though.

One of Alex's Poke Balls popped open, her Meteor taking the hit for Alex. The blue-haired girl turned around and caught her wounded Bug-type Pokemon. Weavile quickly struck Beedrill down again, only to back off and allow KC's Chimchar to burn it. The wasp shot back toward the chopper in terror.

"Darn it! We're out of here!" The pilot dropped the box he had been given and steered the helicopter away, heading back to the island base.

"Alex, are you all right?" Ryan asked.

"I think so. I don't know about Metapod, though." Alex hugged the green cocoon close, only to gasp as he started to glow. In moments, a beautiful Butterfree was in the place of Metapod. "He evolved!"

"He evolved because he was trying to protect you, Alex." Ryan explained. "That's true friendship."

"Ryan, you're actually talking more than normal!" KC noticed.

"Maybe I'm finally getting used to it again." Ryan replied, smiling. _Maybe I can talk like normal again. I was so quiet before but now, ever since I joined these guys, I've been feeling more confident about talking more. It feels…nice._

"Hey, what's this box?" Leena walked over, carrying the box in her arms. "It's pretty light despite how big it is."

"Maybe we should open it." KC suggested.

"Yeah!" Alex nodded. Her Butterfree landed on her shoulder, nodding in agreement.

Leena opened the box and pulled away all of the paper. Inside of the box laid a pair of glasses, a piece of a shirt with blood on it, and a small note. The note read: "Send these to Prof. Oak."

"I wonder who this is from…?" Ryan muttered.

"I hope that isn't blood!" Alex whimpered, glancing at the bloody shirt piece.

"If it is…who's is it?" Leena asked.

**Next Chapter:** Flames and Endurance

"I admit that you're a pretty good opponent. Why are you with the Snaggers?" Chase asked. He hopped off of his defeated Flygon, throwing out a normal Dragonair.

"I have to keep up with my rival. If he gets better than me, then what was the point of being rivals with him?" Will stated, reaching down to pat Salamence's back. "This gives me a chance to train and get stronger. And I'm making plenty of new friends along the way. I like that."

"Your talent could've been better used elsewhere." Chase said. "Then again, all of you Snaggers are fools. All you care about are the Pokemon. Pathetic,"

"So what if we're pathetic in your eyes? You guys are just as pathetic!" Will smirked. "Especially since you're not watching the battle anymore!"

"Huh?"

"Lance, now!" Will cried.

"Go!" Lance ordered.

Chase's Dragonair cried out in pain as Lance's two Dragonair struck from beneath with twin Hyper Beams. Lance reappeared by Will's side, his Dragonair in tow. Chase glared, but focused his gaze on Will.

Will seemed to know what Chase wanted. "It's like Lance said before. I rush into things without thinking about the risks. I act before thinking. Now I'm doing it on purpose, Chase. I do the acting, Lance does the thinking."

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I worked hard on writing it. Leena's nightmare is based on a similar one I once had, just minus Eden and Selene. And, oh my god, I think that's the longest preview I've ever written! *faints*

Anyways, the battle between Lance, Will, and Chase is coming up next. After that, the Champion battle. And after that, Mist, Freeze, and Brad will join the Snaggers and a celebratory party will be thrown by Prof. Oak. Yes, there is going to be a party because I want to see everyone dressed up…and torture Ryan by putting him in a suit! *laughs evilly*

As per request by Steelion, Ryan is beginning to open up and talk more now. If anyone else wants to request clothes changes, Pokemon team changes, and such for their OC for when they head to Johto/Orange Islands/Sevii Islands, add it into your review (since KCSonic113 already did so with KC).

Anyways, I don't think I have anything else to say. I'm glad you guys have stuck with me this long and I hope you continue to stay with me to the end. Thank you so much! Please review! *gives cookies to all reviewers*


	39. Chapter 39: Flames and Endurance

Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the super duper late update. I couldn't find any ideas on what to do with this particular battle. D: But I never gave up! This story is now 470 pages long as of last chapter and has a total of 176 reviews! Thank you, everyone!

It seems everybody is excited for the celebratory party after all of these battles. Thank you all for over 8,000 hits! I'm so grateful! Some people have already made team switches and clothes swaps for their OCs. And I just realized that by the time all of these battles are over, I'll be at forty chapters. With all the extras and the party, this story might be around 43 or 44 chapters long.

Ketchum Kid, I like your idea a whole lot. It would serve to remind Mark that, just like during his first match against Mist, he isn't invincible. I can already imagine the whole fight playing out. As for yours and Portuguese of Pride's questions, I do plan on having the early Shadow Pokemon reappear and a plan for the whole purification process. I admit that in my rush to get to all the big battles, I haven't put in much about the Shadow Pokemon's recovery. I'm trying to fix that but I'm known to be lazy on those kinds of things. I'll try my best, though. If need be, I'll write a spin-off concerning their recovery. I also plan to post a list of the current Shadow Pokemon that have been seen and caught that I've been making, so all of you new readers will know who's been met and who hasn't. This'll also help in the creation of future Cipher agents…I hope.

If anyone remembers the chapter I promised to write called "Reasons" explaining all of the Cipher Gym Leaders and other high rank agents' reasons for joining Cipher, I'm going to make that a spin-off once I have time to write it. Just making sure that I make good to my promise of explaining all that stuff to you guys. Holy, this story sure has a lot to go through in the future. -_-' I hope I can get to it all.

And I've made the final decisions on who goes where. If I missed anyone, please tell me. If not, these are the plans.

Off to Johto are Mark, Alex, KC, and Mist. A bit later, Luffy, Brad, Otullisa, Michael Andrews, and TK will join them, along with one of my special characters that you've already been introduced to. They'll be taking a boat there.

Off to the Orange Islands are Ryan, Ookami, Will, Freeze, and Blacky. Joining them later will be Bandit and Silver. Blacky's Dragonite will be flying them there.

Off to the Sevii Islands are Leena, Jake, Zack, and Roen. Ryo Sentria and Terra White will be joining them later. Zack's Gyarados will be carrying them there.

I still need an Orange Island Gym Leader for Navel Island. Fernanda is stationed at Mikan Island, Wensley is stationed at Trovita Island, and Mimi is stationed at Kumquat Island. You can also begin submitting Johto Gym Leaders now. TK (Battonage), Sarquiss, and Buck are the only ones to date currently, if I remember correctly. That means Olivine, Cianwood, and Violet City Gyms are taken. Calor may also be joining the Snaggers somewhere in Johto but I'm still figuring out where. Hina Mori will be met when the group heads to Orre, Mossnose.

Anyway, I think that's all I have to announce. Man, this was one long announcement. This is probably the biggest Author's Note I've ever written and all it took was one whole page on Word Document! Hooray for me!

I hope you're all satisfied with where your OC is going. As I said before, everyone will end up in Johto halfway through anyway, so don't panic. KCSonic113, Luffy and Brad's location at first will be revealed during the party a.k.a. chapter 41. And yes, Krystal shall be at the party. I hope you all enjoyed the previous chapter. Onto the story!

Chapter 39: Flames and Endurance

The orange blasts shot around the arena and through the smoke cloud that hid the three trainers. Lance was shouting orders while Will was just struggling to stay on Salamence's back. The Dragon-type was continually moving to dodge Hyper Beams, firing his own to retaliate. Will couldn't see where Lance or Chase was, but he could hear them pretty good.

_What's the matter with me? I've got to be in on this fight, too!_ Will thought. _But I can hardly stay on this guy! I don't even know what attacks he has aside from Hyper Beam! Wait…the PokeDex! That should tell me what attacks he's got!_

Just as Will reached into his pocket to retrieve his PokeDex, a Shadow Hyper Beam struck Salamence from the left and knocked him out of the sky. Will plunged from the cloud and fell toward the ground. The brunette screamed the loudest he'd ever screamed in his life and closed his eyes, waiting to hit the ground.

Suddenly, he landed on something that was definitely not the ground. Whimpering, he rubbed his aching back and sat up. Then he realized what he was on.

"Salamence!" he cried.

The Dragon-type turned his head to look at the teen and nodded. "Sal," he rumbled.

The smoke cloud dispersed, allowing Chase and Lance to see each other as well as notice Will. "Will, what are you doing down there? Hang on! Were you the one that fell?" Lance asked.

"Um…yeah!" Will nodded. "But Salamence saved me, so I'm okay!"

"He just got lucky. It won't happen again." Chase said.

Will sighed and looked down at the Dragon-type he was riding on. _I guess Mark meant what he said back on the stairway,_ he thought, remembering their trade.

"_Deal!" Mark tossed his rival Salamence's Poke Ball and caught Elekid's. "Take care of him."_

"_Don't worry! I will!" Will nodded._

"_That's not what I meant. I told _Salamence_ to take care of _you_." Mark laughed._

"_Grrrr!" Will ignored Mark, angry about the comment._

Will sighed. "I'll prove him wrong. I can take good care of myself, but everyone needs help now and then. Even Mark…"

A stray Hyper Beam suddenly crashed into front of them, alarming Salamence and causing him to pump his wings faster to escape. Once they were a safe distance away, Lance and his Dragonite flew toward them. He was glaring at Chase's Flygon, the remnants of a Shadow Hyper Beam faded from its jaws.

"Are you all right?" Lance asked.

"Yeah. He just caught me by surprise." Will said. "But I'll get him back. I'll show this guy who's the boss here!"

"We can't risk being reckless. This trainer didn't become a Cipher Elite 4 member for no reason." Lance explained. "He's very powerful, possibly even stronger than me. That's why you're here, Will. I need help against him, but recklessness is not an option here. We have to think of a plan."

"That'll take too long! He'll kill us before we can think of one!" Will argued.

A Shadow Blast shot between them, forcing Lance and Will to scatter. Lance glared at Chase. "Will, what attacks does Salamence have?" he called.

"I don't know! I'll check my Poke—oh no!" Will cried.

"What is it?" Lance demanded.

"My PokeDex! I must've dropped it when I fell!" Will replied. "Oh, man! Where is it?"

"Looking for this?" Chase asked, pointing straight down.

Will's eyes followed where the Cipher Elite 4 member was pointing and gasped. Lying in the Shadow Flygon's shadow, almost completely hidden, was Will's PokeDex. It didn't look damaged but Will wasn't afraid of that. Chase hid his PokeDex on purpose. But why?

"Grrr! What bad luck!" Lance growled. "We have to get it back!"

"No," Chase disagreed. "What _good_ luck…for me."

"Huh?" Will didn't get it.

"Guessing from why you need a PokeDex, I'm assuming that Pokemon isn't yours." Chase continued, slowly smiling. "From previous records we have of all the Snaggers' fights, that Salamence no doubt belongs to your leader, Mark Hunter. Also, since you have not given it any orders, you must not know any of its attacks aside from Hyper Beam. One attack won't get you very far in this battle."

"So he knew from the start." Lance muttered. "He's not just strong, he's clever. Will, we have to be careful around him!"

"You'll need to be more than careful, Lance. You'll be the first to fall." Chase said. He pointed at Lance. "Attack, Flygon. Shadow Hyper Beam!"

"Hyper Beam!" Lance shouted.

Both blasts collided, exploding. Before Lance could issue another command, Chase and Flygon rammed into Dragonite from the side and sent them hurtling toward the ground. Dragonite twisted around at the last second, sending a Wing Attack crashing into Shadow Flygon's chest.

"Lance, what do I do?" Will cried.

"Get your PokeDex!" Lance shouted, dodging another Shadow Hyper Beam. "Once you know Salamence's moves, come up with a strategy and attack!"

"O-okay!" Will replied. "Salamence, let's go!"

"Sala!" the Dragon-type grunted.

The blue dragon dove and flew along the ground, aiming for Will's PokeDex. Only two feet away, Will reached out a hand to grab it…only to have something hit them from below and send Will sprawling away from his PokeDex. Salamence crashed somewhere nearby, coughing up a bit of blood.

"Ugh…what hit me?" Will coughed.

"Gab!" a voice growled.

"You really think I didn't plan ahead, Lance?" Chase asked. "I knew that attacking you would allow Will to retrieve his PokeDex. So I had a trap readied beforehand."

Will looked up and growled in frustration. Standing between him and his PokeDex…was a Shadow Gabite. A large hole in the ground next to it showed what it had done. It had tunneled under the arena and rammed them from below. The Dragon/Ground-type gave a toothy grin, clearly acknowledging its victory.

"Will, be careful!" Lance cried.

"You're the one who better be careful, Lance." Chase warned. "Flygon, use Shadow Blast and follow up with Shadow Rush."

"Dragonite, counter with Outrage!" Lance ordered.

Dragonite easily dodged the blast of dark energy, charging as it fell into a rampage. It lashed out with fists, claws, feet, and teeth, trying to inflict as much damage as possible. Shadow Flygon defended itself, tossing out a few Shadow Dragon Claws in the process. Both Dragon-types were intent on bringing the other down quickly.

Will turned his attention back to the Shadow Gabite. _I've got to beat this guy and get my PokeDex back,_ he thought. _And my best chance is to use an Ice-type, but I don't have one. Maybe…?_

The Shadow Gabite blinked curiously as Will grabbed a Poke Ball, tossing it. "Go, Lombre!" he cried.

"Lombre bre!" the Grass/Water-type cried.

"Use Waterfall!" Will ordered.

Lombre lifted its arms, summoning a huge waterfall that crashed down on Gabite. The Shadow Pokemon cried out, lashing out with its arms to protect itself. When the water finally stopped hitting it, the Gabite realized that Will was gone. Looking around wildly, it didn't notice the shadow appearing above it until it was too late.

"Ice Beam, Lombre!" Will shouted.

"Lom…BREEEEE!!" Lombre cried.

Gabite roared in pain as the ice hit it, trapping it in a solid block of ice. Unable to move, the Shadow Gabite could do nothing to prevent Will from retrieving his PokeDex. The brunette quickly snatched up the PokeDex, dashing back to Salamence to heal his wounds with a Hyper Potion.

"Now to see what attacks you have," Will muttered, pointing the PokeDex at Salamence. "Hyper Beam, Fire Blast, Dragon Rage, and Giga Impact! Cool!"

"AAAAH!!"

"Lance!" Will cried, looking up just in time to jump on Salamence's back and escape as Dragonite crashed to the ground. "Lance! Are you okay?!"

Lance groaned, sitting up. "I think so, but Dragonite definitely isn't."

The Dragon-type had a deep gash in his side, blood running from it. The Elite 4 member grabbed a Poke Ball, unleashing one of his two Dragonair. Upon seeing it, Will got an idea.

"Hey, can't Dragonair do a whole lot of cool stuff? Maybe we can beat him by using Dragonair's abilities!" Will suggested.

"Maybe," Lance muttered, returning Dragonite. "I'll have the other on standby in case things take a turn for the worst. Did you get your PokeDex?"

"Yeah," Will nodded. "I'm ready this time!"

"Good, because we need a plan right now!" Lance said.

"Dragon-types are weak to Ice-type moves. My Lombre just froze Chase's Gabite. Maybe we can take his Pokemon down that way." Will pointed out.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it." Lance said.

Climbing aboard their Dragon-types, Lance and Will took to the air to confront Chase again. Chase frowned. Will nodded to his Lombre, coming up with a plan.

"Still fighting?" Chase asked.

"Of course! And we'll be winning soon, too!" Will declared. "Lombre, use Ice Beam!"

"Dragonair!" Lance called.

Dragonair's eyes began to glow at the same moment Lombre launched a blast of ice at Flygon. The swift Ground/Dragon-type easily dodged the attack, grinning. Suddenly, it cried out as the attack suddenly hit it in the back. Wheeling around, the Flygon searched for the source of the attack.

"Use Ice Beam again, Lombre!" Will ordered.

Shadow Flygon dodged the attack again while Chase watched the blast, waiting to see what happened…only to stare in shock as the beam suddenly turned around and shot back toward him! Flygon dodged again and again as the Ice Beam continued to try and hit it, never slowing down. Growing exhausted, Flygon stopped flapping its wings for a moment to rest. Big mistake…

"Now!" Lance shouted.

The Ice Beam crashed into Flygon's wings, encasing them in ice. Unable to fly, the Shadow Pokemon plunged toward the ground. Salamence and Will were waiting below, striking them with Giga Impact and sending Flygon sailing toward the ceiling. Twisting around, Flygon managed to hit a wall and land on the ground.

"Don't give him even a second to recover, Will!" Lance cried.

"I know!" Will barked. "Lombre, use Hydro Pump!"

Flygon cried out in pain as the water hit it, struggling to free its wings. Managing to shatter the ice, it tried to let off one last Shadow Hyper Beam. Lance retaliated with a Hyper Beam of his own, defeating the Flygon. The Shadow Pokemon fainted, crashing to the ground.

"Alright! We did it!" Will cheered.

"I admit that you're a pretty good opponent. Why are you with the Snaggers?" Chase asked. He hopped off of his defeated Flygon, throwing out a normal Dragonair.

"I have to keep up with my rival. If he gets better than me, then what was the point of being rivals with him?" Will stated, reaching down to pat Salamence's back. "This gives me a chance to train and get stronger. And I'm making plenty of new friends along the way. I like that."

"Your talent could've been better used elsewhere." Chase said. "Then again, all of you Snaggers are fools. All you care about are the Pokemon. Pathetic,"

"So what if we're pathetic in your eyes? You guys are just as pathetic!" Will smirked. "Especially since you're not watching the battle anymore!"

"Huh?"

"Lance, now!" Will cried.

"Go!" Lance ordered.

Chase's Dragonair cried out in pain as Lance's two Dragonair struck from beneath with twin Hyper Beams. Lance reappeared by Will's side, his Dragonair in tow. Chase glared, but focused his gaze on Will.

Will seemed to know what Chase wanted. "It's like Lance said before. I rush into things without thinking about the risks. I act before thinking. Now I'm doing it on purpose, Chase. I do the acting, Lance does the thinking."

"While you were too busy trying to convince Will into turning on me, I called out my other Dragonair." Lance added. "Dragonair have many special powers, one being to increase their attack power by combining their attack modes. That's what I just did. Impressed?"

"A little," Chase muttered. "But I'll still win. Dragonair, use Iron Tail."

"Salamence, hit it with Fire Blast!" Will cried.

Salamence dodged around the Iron Tail, breathing a column of flame at the Dragonair. It easily escaped, only to be struck with Thunder Wave by one of Lance's Dragonair. The Fire Blast hit the ground, freeing Chase's second Shadow Pokemon from its icy prison.

"Dragonair, use Aqua Tail." Chase ordered.

When his Dragonair didn't move, Chase realized the problem. Thunder Wave had paralyzed it. Lance took his chance, unleashing Outrage from both of his Dragonair upon the paralyzed Dragon-type. Will moved in to help, only to spot movement below.

"Oh, no!" the brunette growled. "That Gabite must've gotten out! I've got to get rid of it…fast!"

Salamence dove toward the ground, leaving Lance to fight Chase alone once again. Will growled as the Shadow Gabite fled underground, leaving him in the dark as to where it would pop up. Lombre was preparing an Ice Beam to defend them with, since Ice-type moves were super effective against Gabite.

"Come out, you…" Will muttered. "You can't stay there forever."

"Gabite gab!" the Gabite screeched, bursting out from their left.

"Lombre!" Will shouted.

Before Lombre could properly aim its attack, Gabite smacked it away with Shadow Dragon Claw. Focusing its attention on Salamence, it suddenly unleashed a huge sandstorm. Coughing, Will crossed his arms over his face to keep the sand out of his eyes. He couldn't see!

Salamence suddenly roared, crashing to the ground and throwing Will off. Struggling to his feet, he could see the silhouettes of the two Dragon-types fighting. Will looked up, trying to spot Lance. He couldn't see either Lance or Chase!

"Lance! Where are you?!" Will cried.

A huge silhouette suddenly appeared before him, claw raised to strike. Grabbing a Poke Ball, Will tossed it and prayed it was something good. The claw was instantly caught in a hand while the other hand began punching at the Gabite's stomach at rapid speed. Shadow Gabite ripped itself free, backing away.

"Ape ape!"

"Infernape! Thanks, buddy!" Will cried.

His Infernape nodded, eyes narrowing as it searched the sandstorm for the Shadow Pokemon. The sandstorm suddenly vanished, being replaced by rain. Yelping in pain, Infernape was quickly returned to his Poke Ball. Will located Lombre and dashed to its side, helping the Grass/Water-type up.

"Where did this rain come from?" Will wondered.

"You can thank my Dragonair for that, Will!" Lance called. "One of their powers is to change the weather. I turned it to rain for a reason."

"Why?" Will asked.

"You figure it out!" Lance chuckled, turning his attention back to Chase. "Now to finish your Dragonair,"

"Go ahead. I still have two more Pokemon for you to defeat, not including Gabite." Chase replied. "My last is my strongest Shadow Pokemon. You'll never defeat it."

"I guarantee you that we will." Lance said. "Dragonair, use Double Hyper Beam!"

Twin blasts of orange energy knocked Chase's Dragonair out, causing him to jump into the air. He tossed a Poke Ball, releasing a jet black Aerodactyl. Landing on its back, he sighed and shook his head.

"You two are really getting on my nerves." Chase said.

"Good! That's what we want to do." Lance replied. "Dragonair, use Double Hyper Beam!"

"Aerodactyl, use Shadow Ancient Power." Chase ordered.

With a single swipe of its giant bat-like wings, Shadow Aerodactyl summoned huge rocks from the ground and flung them at the two Dragonair. Their long, serpentine bodies easily weaved around the rocks, firing twin orange blasts at the Shadow Pokemon. Aerodactyl countered with its own Shadow Hyper Beam, causing an explosion that shrouded them in smoke.

"Damn it!" Chase hissed, searching the smoke for any sign of the Elite 4 member.

"You don't know anything about how to properly care for Pokemon, especially the majestic Dragon-type." Lance said from somewhere behind him.

"What?!" Chase whipped around but couldn't find Lance. "Where are you? Come out."

"Pokemon are just tools to you people, weapons for pure destruction." Lance continued, this time from somewhere to Chase's left. "Pokemon are more than just fighting machines. They have hearts and emotions for a reason. Yet you people dare to close their hearts and erase their emotions!"

"Silence!" Chase growled. "Aerodactyl, Shadow Impact!"

The Shadow Pokemon rocketed through the smoke, trying to hit Lance. The Dragonair escaped, hiding within the smoke once again. Chase was slowly losing his grip on his cool attitude. Lance was really getting him mad.

"The Dragon-type are practically mythical creatures. Hard to catch and raise, their power is far superior to that of other Pokemon." Lance said from somewhere to Chase's right. "They're virtually indestructible! They demand respect from their trainers and in return, they respect and honor their trainers. But if you take away their heart and emotions, that respect and honor disappears!"

"Why are you telling me this, Lance? They're only Pokemon. There are more of them in the world." Chase said coldly. "Why do you fight so hard for them?"

Chase shivered as he felt as presence behind him. Lance smirked as he stood atop of Aerodactyl, directly behind Chase. "Because…Pokemon are my friends. And friends help each other."

"How can Pokemon and humans ever be friends?!" Chase shouted, turning around and attempting to punch Lance.

Lance smirked, jumping back onto one of his Dragonair. "Friendship can exist between any species, Chase. You just have to believe."

"And if I don't?" Chase demanded.

"Then you're not worthy of living alongside Pokemon." Lance replied.

Before Chase could respond, Aerodactyl screamed as a pair of jaws snatched it from below. Chase struggled to stay on the Shadow Pokemon, looking down and gasping in shock. Lance's Gyarados had struck them from below with Bite, attempting to take Aerodactyl down while Chase was distracted.

"Aerodactyl, use—?!" Chase never got to finish.

"Gyarados, toss Aerodactyl into the air and use Twister!" Lance cried.

The Water-type threw its head back, tossing the wounded Aerodactyl as high as it could. Gyarados then began to spin, forming a huge twister directly below it. The Shadow Pokemon screeched as it fell into the twister, flapping its wings desperately to get free. Realizing its predicament, it threw Chase off in a last ditch effort to save its trainer.

Chase fell toward the ground. _Flygon, Dragonair, Gabite, Aerodactyl…you've all failed me. I guess only my best can defeat these Snaggers. Damn,_ he thought.

The twister vanished and Aerodactyl flapped its wings, trying to remain upright. Dragonair's eyes began to glow and a blast of water hit the Rock/Flying-type in the chest, knocking it out. Lance tossed a Snag Ball, capturing the Shadow Pokemon.

"Hey!" Will shouted, glaring up at Lance.

"Sorry, but I had to!" Lance replied, smirking. "Now then, where did he…?"

Lance finally spotted Chase just as the Cipher Elite 4 member threw his last Poke Ball toward the ground, landing on the cottony back of his final Pokemon. It was an Altaria with black skin and a gray cotton-like body and wings. The Shadow Pokemon dropped Chase off on the ground, turning its glowing red gaze toward Lance.

"So, that is your strongest Pokemon?" Lance asked.

"My last _and_ strongest, to be exact," Chase corrected. "Disappointed?"

"Oh, no," Lance chuckled. "I've been waiting for this. Now we can go all-out!"

Chase smirked. "You'll find that Altaria is nothing like my other four Pokemon."

"I should hope not! Your other Pokemon weren't as strong as I expected them to be, Chase." Lance said. "I'm hoping that your strongest will actually be a challenge."

"Oh, she'll be more than a challenge. She'll win this battle for me." Chase declared.

"Let's just test that theory!" Lance cried. "Dragonair, use Hyper Beam and Thunder Wave!"

Chase smirked. "Shadow Dragon Dance," he ordered.

Altaria put on a beautiful dance, flapping her gray cotton wings majestically. When her dance was finished, the Dragon/Flying-type suddenly charged with the speed of a rocket. She easily dodged the two attacks, aiming for one of the Dragonair.

"Shadow Ice Peck!" Chase cried.

"Ice Peck?!" Lance repeated. _Just what kind of attack in an Ice Peck? I've never heard of it!_ "Dragonair, dodge it!"

"Too late!" Chase laughed.

Altaria rammed into one of the Dragonair's underbellies, her beak glowing a bright white and drawing blood. Ice formed along Dragonair's blue and white scales, almost entirely freezing a section of its long body. Altaria pulled away, returning to Chase's side. The ice that had coated its beak melted away.

"Dragonair!" Lance cried.

"Nair nair! Nair…" The Dragonair crashed to the ground, wounded.

"What did you do?! What was that attack, Chase?" Lance demanded.

"A combination of Shadow Chill and Shadow Peck," Chase replied. "I warned you, Lance. Altaria is _nothing_ like my other Pokemon. She's my ultimate fighter!"

Lance growled, returning his Dragonair. _This isn't good,_ he thought. _This guy…am I even sure we can beat him?!_

_At the bridge that spans across Tohjo Falls…_

Mist, Freeze, and Brad arrived at Tohjo Falls at long last. Freeze pocket his teleporting device and sat on a bench. Brad helped Mist to another bench, feeling a bit sick from flying through space to reach the massive waterfall. Mist took a deep breath and tilted his head back, watching the sky.

"Well, we made it. Now what?' Brad asked.

"We wait," Mist replied.

"Why should we wait?!" Freeze demanded. "We already betrayed Cipher! Who cares if we waltz into the Indigo Plateau?"

"Would you like Mark's allies to attack us, Freeze?" Mist asked. "I'd prefer to wait until Mark is through battling the Cipher Champion so that we can speak with him directly. We'll have a greater chance of gaining their trust that way."

"Hey, who is the Cipher Champion, anyway?" Brad asked. "Can Mark beat him?"

"I'm almost positive he can," Mist said. "Even if they gave him _that_ Pokemon, Mark will come up with a plan to defeat it. He and Red will win. At least, they _better_ win or all we've worked for will have been in vain."

"You still never answered my question," Brad commented.

"I honestly don't know who the Cipher Champion is." Mist admitted. "We Cipher Gym Leaders have never seen them before. We assisted in picking the Cipher Elite 4 but the Champion…only the boss knows who the Champion is."

"Why are you so worried? What Pokemon could they have given the Cipher Champion that would make Mark and red lose?" Freeze asked.

"The strongest Shadow Pokemon that Cipher has obtained so far," Mist replied, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "…Mew…"

_Indigo Plateau, Chase's arena…_

Will tore his eyes off of Lance and Chase's battle, focusing on the weakened Shadow Gabite in front of him. _I've got to beat this guy and help Lance! But how…?_ An idea suddenly hit him and the brunette grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt, pressing it to the ground.

Gabite growled, stepping forward. Even with the rain hitting him from Lance's Dragonair's weather-changing power, the Dragon/Ground-type wasn't about to give up. Raising a claw, it prepared to finish Lombre off with a Shadow Dragon Claw. Just as it was bringing its claw down, the ground began to shake. Gabite snarled in rage, backing up a step and looking around wildly in search of the source.

Chase stumbled around, confused by the shaking. Shadow Altaria quickly landed, allowing her trainer to hop on her back and escape the mysterious earthquake. Will smirked.

"Game over, Gabite!" he cried. "Now, hit that Shadow Pokemon with Ice Fang!"

Before Gabite could react, a huge purple arm with two sharp claws burst from the ground and snatched him up. The Shadow Pokemon roared in agony as ice crept across its blue and red skin. The arm's owner erupted from the ground, icy mist escaping from its jaws as it sank its teeth into the Gabite's leg.

"No way! How did that get here?!" Chase cried.

"While you guys were fighting, I used his Poke Ball to release him underground. Gabite never noticed anything until it was too late!" Will replied. "Say hello to my most defiant but strongest Pokemon!"

"Draaaaapion!" Drapion screeched.

Gabite let out a gurgled cry of pain as Drapion dropped him to the ground. Will tossed a Snag Ball, capturing the Shadow Pokemon easily. Patting Drapion, he smirked up at Chase. The Cipher Elite 4 member just stared at him in shock.

"Impressive, Will!" Lance commented.

"Thanks! I have more tricks up my sleeve if you care to see them." Will said. "Now then, let's take down that Altaria and end this!"

"Gladly!" Lance nodded.

"I can guarantee that doing that won't be as easy as you think." Chase growled. "Altaria, fly up high and get ready to attack."

The cottony bird-like Pokemon nodded, flapping her large wings and flying toward the ceiling. Lance's Dragonair followed her, readying for anything the Cipher Elite 4 member might pull. Will returned Drapion and hoped onto Salamence's back, carrying Lombre with him. The Water/Grass-type, though injured, wasn't going to miss out on this battle.

"Altaria, use Shadow Safeguard and charge up your energy for Shadow Sky Attack." Chase ordered.

"Now what?!" Will asked. "We can't attack if Safeguard is up!"

"That doesn't mean we can't plan ahead," Lance pointed out. "I have a plan, Will. Listen closely, okay?"

"Okay!" Will nodded.

Meanwhile, Chase smirked triumphantly as Shadow Altaria gathered all the strength she needed for Shadow Sky Attack. "Now, hit them with all you have. Knock them out of the sky!" he cried, jumping off her back and to the ground below.

"RIAAAAAA!!" Altaria screeched, shooting forward as her body lit aflame with red fire.

"Now, Will!" Lance shouted.

Salamence and Will shot overhead, leaving Lance as the only target. Altaria picked up speed, intent on at least taking one of her opponents down with her attack. Chase started laughing, getting ready to call the Elite 4 member a fool…when Altaria smashed face-first into Dragonair's own Safeguard. The Dragon-type was stunned, giving Will a chance to attack.

"Lombre, use Ice Beam!" Will cried.

Altaria shrieked in pain as the ice crashed into her back, tossing her to the floor far below. Dragging herself out of the crater her impact had created, she shot a Shadow Dragonbreath at them in revenge. Salamence countered with Hyper Beam, causing yet another explosion. Altaria took to the air, furious.

"Altaria, use Shadow Blast!" Chase ordered.

"Thunder Wave, Dragonair!" Lance cried.

"Use Fire Blast, Salamence!" Will yelled.

Altaria unleashed a blast of dark energy, narrowly missing Salamence by inches. Electricity suddenly zapped her, paralyzing her muscles and preventing her from fighting back. Then a huge column of flame shot at her, burning the cotton that coated her body and nearly knocking her out. Altaria suddenly opened her beak and began to sing.

The effects were instantaneous. Salamence and Dragonair's eyes fell shut and both Dragon-types plunged to the ground, fast asleep. Will and Lance had no choice but to return them. Lance brought out his Gyarados and Will called out Infernape. Altaria landed beside Chase, her muscles still refusing to unlock from their paralysis.

"You two are pretty clever," Chase complimented. "It's too bad we're enemies."

"Indeed," Lance nodded. "You would've made a great Dragon-type trainer. It's too bad you chose to side with darkness. I don't know how you'll ever gain a Pokemon's respect after doing this to them."

"I could care less for a Pokemon's respect." Chase said coldly. "Pokemon are just tools to be used at our leisure. Emotions get in the way of their ultimate purpose—to serve us. We're the gods of this world, not them! We command everything, not them! Without us, Pokemon would be nothing but wild beasts!"

"Pokemon survived perfectly fine before we ever came up with the idea to tame them." Lance commented. "Pokemon and humans work together to keep this world in balance. Without one, the other cannot hope to survive for very long. You people are breaking that balance!"

"We're not breaking it. We're just…remaking it." Chase corrected.

"By putting the world in danger?! That's messed up!" Will cried.

"With reward comes risk. This is the risk for remaking the world." Chase replied.

"Maybe you want o take that risk but we don't!" Will snapped.

"If a few innocent people must perish in order for our goals to come to fruition, so be it. It'll be a few less fools in our new world." Chase said. "You best give up now. You children are in way over your heads."

"No way!" Will growled. "I'm not giving up here! You people don't understand anything about what you're doing! Closing their hearts, taking their emotions away…you're practically taking away their individuality!"

"And I care…why?" Chase asked.

Will just glared at him, unable to come up with an answer.

"Regardless, I'll give you one more chance to flee." Chase said.

"Never," Will said.

"To flee now would be to abandon the very people we've vowed to protect." Lance added. "I, too, shall stay. We will either win or die trying."

"Then I guess you'll die," Chase said. "Altaria, let's end this."

Chase pulled out a Paralyze Heal from his pocket, using it to cure his last Pokemon. Altaria stretched his wings before turning her hateful gaze upon Lance and Will. Chase nodded and the Dragon-type took to the air, flying toward the ceiling. Opening her beak, she summoned up as much red-hot energy as she could in her beak. In no time, a huge fireball hovered in front of her and within it…a glowing meteor appeared.

"No way!" Will yelped.

"Yes way! This attack will end it all!" Chase declared. "Altaria, use this Shadow Draco Meteor to eliminate these pests once and for all! Long live Cipher!"

"Lance, what do we do?!" Will cried. "We can't dodge that!"

"I know," Lance muttered. "…But maybe we don't have to. Will, I'll need your help with this!"

"Anything!" Will agreed.

Chase smirked. "Whatever plan you have will never succeed! Say goodbye!" he yelled. "Altaria, finish them now!"

Will grabbed three Poke Balls from his belt, staring in horror as the huge meteor hurtled toward them. The pair braced themselves as the attack hit them, knocking both Gyarados and Infernape out immediately. When the flames finally dispersed, Chase laughed upon seeing both of his opponents sprawled on the arena floor. Altaria gasped for breath, exhausted from using such a powerful attack.

"That's what you get for attacking Cipher, fools!" Chase shouted, laughing. "You wanted death, so I gave it to you! Now I just have to eliminate the rest of your friends and nobody will stand in our way!"

Will twitched, a small smirk on his face. Pressing the button on the first Poke Ball, he shoved it against the dirt and breathed raggedly. "Dig," he whispered.

The ground began to shake. Chase yelped, stumbled around desperately. "What the?! But how?! You're dead!" he cried.

Will pressed the button on the second Poke Ball, unleashing his Staraptor. The Flying-type picked up the third Poke Ball and took off, using the shadows as cover. Will coughed before issuing an order.

"Ice Fang!" the brunette cried.

"No you don't! Altaria, get as far off the ground as possible!" Chase ordered.

The Dragon-type flew toward the ceiling, escaping the shaking ground below. She was unaware that she was flying straight toward Staraptor, who pressed the button of the third Poke Ball. Drapion erupted from it, catching Altaria in its claws before landing heavily on the ground.

"It came from the sky?!" Chase gasped. "But how?! Altaria, break loose!"

Shadow Altaria screamed as Drapion sank his freezing fangs into her wing, preventing her from escaping. Dropping her on the ground, he raised his claws and used X-Scissor. Altaria coughed blood before falling still on the ground. She had fainted.

"Damn it! Altaria, ret—" Chase started.

"Now, Staraptor!" Will shouted.

Staraptor dropped the Snag ball it had been holding, capturing Shadow Altaria. Before Chase could try and grab the Snag Ball, Staraptor dove and snatched it up in it talons before dropping it. Will, finally managing to sit up, caught it in one hand. Drapion hissed at Chase while Will's Gabite burst from the ground, smirking triumphantly.

"No way," the Cipher Elite 4 member whispered. "But how? You…you're supposed to…"

"Be dead? Nope!" Will chuckled.

"My Dragonair used Safeguard just before I returned it," Lance explained, sitting up as well. "We faked being dead in order to initiate our plan. You took the bait and fell right into our hands the moment Gabite used Earthquake while underground. You never expected Drapion to attack from the sky or for Staraptor to be the one to capture your Altaria."

"Then that means…" Chase whimpered.

"You lose!" Will cried.

"N-no! That impossible! I-I can't l-lose!" Chase stammered.

"You _have_ lost, Chase." Lance said firmly, standing up. "And since we won, you must leave here and never return."

Chase just glared at them before pulling out his teleportation device. "I'll get my revenge on you. _Both_ of you will pay for this, mark my words!" he vowed.

"Tell it to someone who cares." Will commented. "We won, so scat!"

"You'll regret this," Chase growled.

"No," Lance disagreed. "It will be Cipher that regrets its actions. I have one bit of advice for you, Chase. Leave Cipher while you can. When Cipher is defeated, all of its agents will be arrested. Leave now and you might escape imprisonment."

"Don't count on it." Chase muttered. "Until next time, when I will be sure to win," Pressing the button, he teleported back to Cipher's main base.

Will sighed in relief. "We did it! Finally!"

"Agreed," Lance said. "That was probably one of my hardest battles. I'm glad I had you beside me in this one. Despite your recklessness, you're pretty clever."

"Thanks!" Will chuckled. "Hey, can we get out of here already? I'd rather see how the others did, though I doubt any of them lost."

"Confident, aren't you?" Lance commented.

"All of them are really strong," Will explained. "There's no way they'd lose to these Cipher goons. I'll never forgive them if they did, especially Mark."

Lance smiled. "Let's go, Will. I'm sure everyone did fine."

"Yeah," Will nodded.

After returning his three Pokemon, Will followed Lance out of the arena and to the stairway leading back to the ground floor. While Lance headed downstairs, Will stopped and looked upstairs. He clutched Salamence's Poke Ball to his chest.

_Mark,_ he thought. _You better win! And when you do, you better be ready to face me next._

The brunette headed downstairs and was greeted with cheers from his companions. Luffy clapped him on the back while Ookami checked him over for any injuries. Heading outside, he noticed KC and Alex sitting together. Curious, he walked over.

"Hey, guys! I'm back from my fight!" he cried, sitting down on KC's other side. "How'd you do, KC?"

"I won," KC replied, smiling.

"He won more than a battle." Alex added.

"Huh? What's that mean?" Will asked, confused. Then he noticed the Master Ball held in KC's hands. "What's in there?"

"Darkrai," KC said. "I didn't have a choice."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Will yelped. "You caught Darkrai, even though you and Luffy got mad at Mark for even suggesting it?!"

"Yes!" KC snapped. "I did! If I hadn't, Cipher would've caught him instead! I did it to save him, Will!"

"Okay! I get it!" Will said, raising his hands. "No need to shout. I was just wondering."

KC sighed. "Sorry," he apologized. "I haven't even told the others yet."

"You gotta tell them sooner or later," Will pointed out. 'Luffy will start wondering where Darkrai is."

"I know," KC muttered.

"So, what else did you win?" Will asked.

Alex smiled before kissing KC on the cheek, causing the raven-haired boy to blush. Will blinked in shock before laughed, falling right off his seat. Alex sighed, allowing Weavile to hit him over the head. Will quickly scrambled to his feet, staring in shock at Weavile.

"Where the heck did that come from?!" the brunette cried.

"Sneasel chose to evolve," Alex replied.

"Whoa! That's Sneasel?!" Will yelped.

"Yep," KC nodded. "I don't think he appreciated you laughing at us. What's so funny, anyway?"

"How long it took you to finally realize you loved each other!" Will answered. "Took you long enough, you know."

"Shut up," Alex growled.

"Hey, do you think Mark's okay?" KC asked.

"Of course he's okay! He's my rival!" Will cried. "If I can beat these guys, so can he! I bet he's wiping the floor with that guy right now!"

"Really?!" KC cried.

"Yep!" Will nodded.

"I hope you're right," Alex said. "The Cipher Champion is probably in a different league than those Cipher Elite 4 members."

"Who cares? He's fine!" Will declared stubbornly. _Mark, you better be winning!_

_At the bridge that spans across Tohjo Falls…_

"Mew?! You're kidding!" Freeze cried.

"Nope," Mist replied. "And that's just the beginning. The Cipher Champion is in a whole other league from the Cipher Elite 4. He was hand-picked by the boss for his strength and strategizing abilities. He's one of the toughest Cipher agents currently."

"How the hell is Mark gonna beat Mew?!" Freeze demanded.

"Isn't Mew impossible to beat?" Brad asked.

"Nothing's impossible to beat," Mist said. "Either Mark will win by pure skill or just get really lucky. Either way, I doubt the Cipher Champion will gain victory easily, if at all. Mark is one of the strongest trainers I have ever battled before."

"Really?" Brad asked.

"During our first fight, I wiped him out easily." Mist reminisced. "I hardly called him a challenge. He kept going on about promises. It was thanks to him that I first remembered Anna."

"Then what?" Freeze asked.

"During our second battle, he hit me with everything he had." Mist continued. "That girl who is always with him, one of the two sons of a runaway Cipher professor, and Misty were with him. I nearly killed both Mark and the girl but they escaped. At one point, Lapras turned against me and refused to fight for me anymore. I almost lost control of my psychic powers, too. That battle pushed me to my very limits and yet I still lost."

"That Lapras belonged to Anna, right?" Freeze commented. "Maybe she turned on you because she knew what you were doing was wrong."

"I have to agree, Freeze." Mist nodded. "After that, I searched for how Anna truly died. In the process, I decided to escape from Cipher altogether. The rest is history."

"So, you really think Mark can beat Mew?" Freeze asked.

"I bet he could beat Arceus if he tried hard enough." Mist chuckled. "It will be a long and harsh battle but Mark will win. That much I can assure you. We just have to wait until he and his friends get here. Then you'll see what I mean."

"You better be right," Freeze said, crossing his arms. _Maybe if I battle him, I'll get stronger. Maybe even strong enough to defeat Electra one day. Perfect…_

Mist sighed, closing his eyes. _Good luck…Mark Hunter._

**Next Chapter:** Strength That Can't Be Seen

"Shadow Mega Punch!" Axl yelled.

"AAAAH!!" Mark screamed as the punch connected with his side, throwing him halfway across the arena.

"Mark!" Red cried. "Saur, use Solar Beam!"

"Idiot," Axl chuckled. "How do you expect to beat me with weak moves like that?! Mew, use Shadow Aura Sphere!"

The black Mew summoned a ball of crackling red energy in his paws, throwing it at the Venusaur. Saur bellowed in agony before crashing to the ground, his attack missing Mew entirely. Red quickly dashed to the Grass-type's side, glaring at Axl.

"I thought this would be more fun. I guess Shadow Mew is just too powerful for the leader of the Snaggers and the former Pokemon Champion to defeat." Axl said. "Boring! I expected more of a fight. I guess I was wrong."

_Mark!_ Shadow Espeon cried, nudging her trainer. _Wake up! Please, Mark!_

"And you guys are hoping he can open your hearts? You may as well give up now." Axl said, glaring at the Shadow Pokemon. "Your hearts are destined to remain closed forever. One kid can't save you. Nobody can!"

* * *

Once again, I'm _so_ sorry for the delay! Writer's block, school, and stress stole my creativity but now I'm back in business…hopefully. I won't be too surprised if I don't get many reviews. To those of you who do review, thank you for your loyalty and support! I'll do everything I can to finish this story and get on to the next one! I promise! Thank you again! :)


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